Pike Industries received a violation notice from the city of Westbrook Thursday afternoon for exceeding an agreed-upon noise limit for blasting.
A blast at Pike’s Spring Street quarry on Tuesday was recorded at 129.3 decibels, according to a report submitted by Pike to the city. The state’s noise limit for a single blast is 129 decibels — a standard that’s also written into a consent agreement reached by the city, Pike and Idexx Laboratories, a neighbor of the quarry.
Westbrook Code Enforcement Officer Rick Gouzie issued a notice to Pike for violating the consent agreement. The city ordered Pike to keep its next blast within the required standards, or the company could face a fine of $100 to $2,500, the notice said.
Measurements for blasts conducted on Monday and on May 12 showed they did not exceed the noise limit, according to Pike’s report.
Julian Steer, a Pike official, wrote that he believed the blast was louder on Tuesday because of the weather, which was overcast and windy.
Pike’s attorney, Tony Buxton of Preti Flaherty, said clouds can make blasts sound louder than they would when the sky is clear.
Pike started blasting last week for the construction of an access road to its Spring Street quarry. The company is allowed to blast a total of 10 times before June 9 for road construction, according to the agreement.
The new access road is part of a plan to mitigate noise and other effects of blasting rock in the quarry itself, which can start once the road and other buffers are in place.
Pike’s right to blast rock at the Spring Street quarry has been a point of contention among the city, Pike and its neighbors for years. A judge in November approved a consent agreement reached by the city, Pike and Idexx to allow eight blasts per year subject to certain conditions.
Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at: 791-6364 or at
lbridgers@mainetoday.com
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