Residents of the small north Alabama community of Belle Mina are breathing easier after reaching a settlement with a limestone quarry they say was disrupting their homes and places of worship.
Three Belle Mina residents and four churches located near the quarry filed a lawsuit against the operators of the Stoned LLC limestone quarry in 2024, alleging that the quarry’s dust, noise, blasting and truck traffic were interfering with their ability to enjoy their property or to keep congregants coming to their churches.
The plaintiffs, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, had initially sought an injunction to close the quarry entirely. Barry Brock, director of SELC’s Alabama office, said in a news release that the compromise was a good one.
“While we sought to stop the quarry, the judge concluded that the law required a middle ground,” Brock said. “This is the best outcome for our clients and mitigates very serious long-term impacts on the community,”
The settlement requires the quarry to change its operations to reduce its impact on the community. The changes include:
