Why Berwick residents are fighting a proposed sand and gravel pit
Two men take a look around a gravel pit along Gracelawn Road in Auburn in 2023. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer)
Almost 156 acres of Berwick could become a mineral extraction site if town officials give their approval.
Neighbors of the proposed sand and gravel pit site have been told they’d see a minimum of 20 mineral hauling and crushing trucks per day, six days a week, for 10 years. Residents aren’t sold and are urging town officials to consider every aspect of Berwick’s land use ordinance to decide whether the proposal is acceptable.
Active extraction would occur on nearly 63 acres of the site, just off Ridlon Road, and development would be completed in a phased approach, according to the land extraction company behind the project, Two Sisters Working Lands LLC.
Related
Cumberland residents air concerns about gravel pit
Representatives of the applicant told the planning board on June 25 that the pit would be temporary. It would be developed in increments of roughly 10 acres at a time and eventually restored to a combination of open field and forested conditions, they said.
WATER AND AIR QUALITY CONCERNS
At a June 25 hearing, the planning board heard public testimony from more than 30 Berwick residents.
“One of the things that came up at the public hearing was around the particles that end up in the air and potentially breathing them in and creating lung problems,” Town Manager Arthur Capello said.
Advertisement
Residents also worried about machinery using hydraulic fluid or oil that could burst near the aquifers.
Hundreds of residents rely on drinking water from wells in the area. Aquifers keep water clean, and possible contamination and depletion from operations at the extraction site are a primary consideration of the project’s approval, officials said.
The site map of a proposed sand and gravel pit in Berwick. Residents are pushing back on the proposal because of its proximity to residential areas and an aquifer protection zone. (Courtesy of Sebago Technics)
In a May letter to the planning board, representatives of Sebago Technics — Two Sisters Working Lands’ agent — said “groundwater withdrawal or ejection to the aquifer is not proposed,” and that monitoring tools to track groundwater levels would be installed.
Developers said they’d also comply with a 75-foot buffer rule to protect a nearby stream.
Several residents raised concerns about crystalline silica particles that would be generated as a result of digging and crushing minerals at the site. One resident wrote in a June letter to the planning board that strong winds could carry dust into residential areas, coating homes and posing a threat to children and older adults.
At the public hearing, planning board Vice Chair Rick Raynes recommended a wet suppression system to control dust while crushing, plus a wheel-washing system at the site’s exit.
Advertisement
The planning board voted 4 to 1 to commission an independent third-party technical review after hearing public testimony. The study will include the project’s effect on water and air quality, Director of Planning and Development James Bellissimo said.
NOISE POLLUTION AND TRAFFIC CONGESTION
The potential presence of dozens of dump trucks a week has Berwick residents concerned that the sound of beeping, crushing and increased vehicle traffic will impact their lives.
The site’s proposed operating hours would give neighbors one day a week without noise and truck traffic. But from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays, trucks would be coming in and out of the site, according to Sebago Technics.
Berwick’s land use ordinance restricts noise above 60 decibels in residential districts — like the one the extraction site would occupy — from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It allows for a one-time, 10-decibel increase for 15 minutes per day.
Sebago Technics said the development wouldn’t violate the ordinance, but residents are still wary.
In another June letter to the planning board, a resident indicated the project would be in violation of the sound ordinance because a standard dump truck outputs 76 decibels within a 200-foot area.
Advertisement
The third-party study commissioned by the board will help determine if that’s a concern that applies to the gravel pit.
Coupled with heavy traffic concerns, residents wondered if the developers would seek required permits for the volume of trucks.
The Maine Department of Transportation requires an applicant to obtain a traffic movement permit if the site is expected to see the equivalent of 100 passenger cars during its peak hour of operation. With an average of 20 trucks per day and an estimated four trips during the peak hour, the project is well below the DOT’s permit threshold, Sebago Technics said.
DOES BERWICK NEED ANOTHER GRAVEL PIT?
Representatives of Two Sisters Working Lands said in a statement that in addition to producing materials for their company, the pit will serve as an aggregate resource for town projects.
Capello said Berwick has two active sand and gravel pits. The town has purchased gravel, crushed stone and other materials from at least one pit to complete voter-approved infrastructure projects, he said.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had an issue getting what we need,” Capello said, adding that it doesn’t hurt to have another option, despite a lack of demonstrated need.
Advertisement
There is no language in the town’s ordinances that would prevent a third mineral extraction site. If the commissioned study — which will cover potential impacts on air and water quality, noise, and traffic — proves the proposal is up to code, the town likely won’t have a valid reason to deny the request.
“If it’s an allowable use in the ordinance, the only thing the town can do is add specific conditions for the approval,” Capello said.
Then it will be up to Two Sisters Working Lands to accept or deny those conditions.
Next steps involve written responses from developers to address concerns heard at the June 25 hearing, Bellissimo said. The planning board will continue reviewing the proposal once those responses are returned, then set a date for the third-party study.
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: york county Maine
Isabelle Oss is a community reporter covering Kittery, Berwick, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Born and raised in Colorado, she moved to Maine in April 2026. Isabelle holds a master’s. More by Isabelle Oss
