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New lakefront may be in store at Princeton quarry

By Barry Merrill
NL Publisher

19 September 2007 — Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful lake, or two, just outside Princeton. And I’m not talking about Holt’s Pond.

Johnston County is planning two lakes just outside Princeton as part of their long-term solution to meeting the county’s water needs.

Tim Broome, Johnston County’s Director of Public Utilities, went over the county’s plans with the News Leader last week.

The two lakes are just two big holes in the ground now, just north of Princeton.

The first stage of the project will be at the old abandoned rock quarry. While there is seepage into the quarry of 200,000 gallons per day, the county is not counting on that as a significant source of water. “We could lose that much in evaporation,” Mr. Broome said Friday.

The county is planning on drawing water out of the Neuse River, constructing a 30” pipeline for 11 ½ miles, drawing water out at Richardson Bridge Road and piping the water to the old quarry.

The county would construct a water treatment plant at the quarry.

Total cost for this first phase of the project, which would include fencing and landscaping the quarry, would be $24 million.

The old quarry would provide 500 million gallons of water storage. Mr. Broome says it would also be a beautiful site for potential recreation.

He said the area, along the Little River is a beautiful area with potential for trails to enjoy the natural beauty. Boating would be possible if there were some authority to oversee recreation at the area.

Contracts are in place for the county to begin property acquisition at the old quarry. Those purchases should begin at the end of this year. Mr. Broome said the plant could be up and operating as early as 2010, or as late as 2018, depending on the water needs of the county. His projection at this point is 2014.

The second part of the project, and the really big part, centers on the current quarry being used by Hanson Aggregates.

Plans are when the current quarry plays out, currently projected at 20 years from now, Hanson will move their mining operations to the other side of the Little River. They will continue to use their processing equipment at the current site, but the present quarry will then become county property.

The current quarry is expected to have a storage capacity of seven billion gallons, 14 times the capacity of the old quarry.

Both the county water needs and the expected time the quarry will play out are affected by growth issues, so if county growth exceeds current expectations, the quarry may be ready for county use earlier than the twenty years currently projected.

Mr. Broome said the county is continuing in negotiations with Hanson and the Betsy Holt Lottman heirs. “We want to be fair to all concerned,” he said. He said things are progressing and are very friendly and professional.

The plans are once the second quarry is available to pipe intake water from the old quarry to be stored at the new quarry as a second storage area. Water treatment will continue at the old quarry.

Costs to bring the second quarry into the system are projected at $24 million.

Princeton Mayor Don Rains said Monday morning the town does not have the resources to develop the old quarry as a recreation area, but it may be that with grants or partnerships, something might be considered.

“We really haven’t discussed it,” he acknowledged, but he added that it may be something the board may want to make a priority.

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