“In 1946, Forrest Beaver started the Beaver Gravel Corporation. Beaver Gravel is a fifth-generation gravel operation located in Noblesville, Indiana. The Cicero Creek and White River are located on the North and East side of where their operations have been performed since 1949. The Beaver family has lived and raised their families here since 1949. In no way, is it their business plan to jeopardize the community we live and play in.”
With a focus on water safety in their community, Beaver Gravel Corporation hired Intera, a highly regarded hydrologic expert, to conduct an in-depth analysis of water quality and quantity. Their report showed there would be minimal risk of operations affecting water quality or quantity. The phrasing minimal risk is used as there is risk in everything, for instance, the land currently has minimal risk today.
For added context, Westfield water started putting water wells in the River Road area in 1986. As the City of Westfield’s water demand grew, they added more wells in 1992. In 2007, the City of Westfield purchased land from the Beaver Family to add a major well field on the levy between the Beaver Gravel Corporation operations and the White River to help with rapid recharging of the aquifer. There are 17 major water wells located along River Road that were implemented decades after our operations began in 1949, suggesting there should be little to no concern regarding the quality of the drinking water as the water is safe today.
All of these wells have gravel pits in their wellhead protection areas and there has not been any problem between quality or quantity in 25 years. Also keep in mind, the Noblesville Park site is only an excavation site and not a gravel pit.
Other key points to keep in mind:
- No history of contamination. If the utilities were worried about contamination, or if there was any contamination present, they would not drill any new wells there.
- No monitoring system. There is no water quality monitoring system in place at any of these wellfields. What we are proposing with the sentinel well system at the proposed site is way above and beyond anywhere in the state.
- No models or assessments were required at any of these sites. Again our study went above and beyond.
Beaver Gravel has heard the concerns of their neighbors and taken time between filings to address as many concerns as possible and updated their plans accordingly. These can all be found on their website. They are committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of Noblesville, all while delivering an amazing park bound by seeking the zoning that would make this park possible. Hamilton County residents will be able to enjoy this park for years to come.