The state Department of Environmental Quality is reviewing a permit application for a proposed gravel pit near Creston that has drawn pushback from a nearby neighborhood.

The 9.4-acre site off Montana 35 and Old Highway 35 would be used to mine for gravel and sand, according to the application filed by Prime Cut Construction, LLC. An estimated 500,000 cubic yards of material would be removed from the property over the lifespan of the project. 

The Montana Department of Transportation previously used about 4.6 acres of the site for open cut mining. The other half is an undisturbed forested area.

The DEQ is hosting a public meeting on the proposed mine April 7 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. for an open house, followed by a presentation and question-and-answer session.

According to the permit application, most of the mining would involve removal the hill in the center of the property. The application states that the maximum depth of mining would be 5 feet below the ground surface. 

The company says it would stop mining at or above the high-water table and use on-site materials to backfill to ensure that a minimum of 3 feet of material is maintained above the seasonal high-water table for final reclamation. No water feature would remain for final reclamation, according to the application. Final reclamation would be in December 2040.

Gravel crushing equipment would be used in the permit area, and water from an on-site well would be used for the concrete batch plant and wash plant.

Nearby wildlife includes raptors, bears, elk, deer and other birds, the application states.

The application notes that 53 occupied homes are within half a mile of the permit boundary.

Neighbors opposed to the permit say property values would go down if the site is used as a mine again. 

“When the knoll is deforested, the top soil removed and the top of it destroyed, all of the homes will all be facing a ‘moonscape’ of destruction and ugliness,” states an online petition against the project that had 249 signatures as of April 1.

The neighbors are also worried about noise, air and water pollution.

“None of these bode well for the properties local to it retaining good quality of life and higher property values,” the petition states.

Traffic from the site was also noted as a potential safety issue with cement trucks pulling onto Montana 35.