Page 63 - 2021 Sustainability Report
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ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Sharn says the first step to reclaiming Phase I required the local Martin Marietta team to make it leak proof by adding a
clay liner composed of compacted clay and overburden. Once certified leak proof by engineers from the state’s Division of
Water Resources, the team made sure the surrounding land was properly reclaimed by planting a variety of native grasses,
flowers, plants and other greenery.
Completed reclamation area at our Taft Hill site
Phase II of the project, which is set for completion in 2022, received similar care and attention throughout 2021. Once
finished, it, too, will become a valuable reservoir.
While the added water storage is important, Guggisberg says the ancillary benefits of the project are having additional
impacts on both the local community and its wildlife. As part of the reclamation effort, a local bike path was extended to
cross a causeway between the two new reservoirs. This path is now heavily utilized by local residents.
Additionally, built into each reservoir are shallow entrance and exit points so that the water can be safely accessed by
animals like foxes, deer, geese, moose and racoons. Once Phase I of the reclamation was completed, Martin Marietta
entered into a partnership with the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, which now regularly releases rehabilitated
wild animals on the reclaimed property.
“Our reclamation work at Taft Hill has been exceptional, and I think it’s important that we take the time to shine a
spotlight on it and other, similar projects,” Guggisberg says. “The positive impact our operations can have really is
astounding. Our mining is needed to help build communities, and we take that work seriously. Equally as important,
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