Comments due soon on gravel pit
The owner of a controversial gravel pit near West Glacier is pursuing a state permit to expand his operation, less than a quarter mile from Glacier National Park, from 2 to 24 acres.
After purchasing the land in 2004 and seeking to reopen a gravel pit that had not operated since 1995, Bob Spoklie stirred up a hornet's nest of local opposition and a legal tangle with Flathead County over his plans.
A lawsuit led to a settlement with the county that allowed for an eventual expansion of the gravel pit. But the expansion also would require a new permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
The state agency posted an environmental assessment for an amended permit on March 20, allowing just 10 working days for public comment before an April 3 comment deadline.
"Glacier National Park is very concerned about the proposal," said Amy Vanderbilt, the park's public affairs officer. "We are just now preparing our comments. Like many, we just learned about [it] this week, so it is a relatively short turnaround."
The negotiated settlement imposed a number of conditions on Spoklie's operation, including limiting the active extraction area to a maximum of 8 acres at any one time. The overall size of the pit was capped at 24 acres, and crushing operations would be prohibited from June 15 to Aug. 21 and from Nov. 15 to March 12.
The environmental assessment includes provisions that appear to mirror the terms in the settlement agreement.
The amended permit would increase the operating area from 2 acres to 24 acres, with setbacks from adjacent property lines.
It would increase the maximum mining depth from 30 to 70 feet and increase the amount of gravel to be removed from the area from 46,400 to 1.8 million cubic yards. A performance bond for the expanded pit would be increased from $1,500 to $52,050.
The expanded operation would involve an average of 22 dump-truck trips per day.
The operation would also involve a wash plant that would be supplied with water from an on-site well. With a recycling process, the plant would use up to 22,000 gallons per day.
In September 2005, Spoklie was ordered by Flathead County to cease operations at the pit due to conflicts with the West Glacier Zoning District and the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System.
That led to the lawsuit and subsequent settlement.
Contacted on Friday, Spoklie said he considers the state permitting process to be a "formality" because he has met the terms of the settlement.
"We've won our lawsuit with the county. That was the hurdle," he said. "It wasn't the state that was the hurdle."
West Glacier residents strongly opposed the operation three years ago, mostly because of its proximity to the park.
"I don't know if there's going to be any controversy," Spoklie said, referring to his expansion plans. "If there's controversy, there's controversy."
He insisted that the gravel pit is not the blight that some have portrayed it as, because it is screened by trees and is not visible from neighboring properties or nearby Belton Stage Road.
He said the gravel pit was necessary to build infrastructure for his 400-acre Glacier Hills housing development in Martin City.
"That's why I bought that gravel pit," he said.
The environmental assessment for the gravel pit expansion is available under "permits information" and "opencut mining permits' on the DEQ Web site at:
Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com