faq

Under Norvell Township’s zoning ordinance, AAOM would pay a surcharge of at least 4 cents per ton of material shipped from the site, paid annually to the Township to fund road maintenance and repair. Monthly tonnage reports would be required throughout the life of the operation.

If the Township denies the permit, AAOM can appeal to the Zoning Board of Appeals or challenge the decision in Circuit Court — common in mining cases given Michigan’s strong protections for resource extraction. A denial will only hold up if it’s grounded in specific ordinance standards and supported by documented evidence of harm. Generalized opposition won’t survive a legal challenge. This is why building a strong evidentiary record through public hearings matters.

Public input carries real legal weight here. Under Michigan law, the lower the demonstrated public need for gravel, the harder AAOM must work to prove the mine won’t cause serious harm. Documented evidence of harm — not generalized opposition — is what can stop it. You don’t need to be an expert — you need to be on the record. Can’t attend a hearing in person? Email Norvell Township officials directly. Ask them to apply the 1,600-foot setback from Watkins Lake State Park rather than the minimum currently proposed.

Under Michigan law, personal testimony serves as legal evidence — not just opinion. Your firsthand account of how you use your property, current noise and traffic conditions, and proximity to the site or haul routes all become part of the official record the Township Board must consider when making its decision. Testify at the public hearing, submit written comments to the Township Clerk or Planning Commission, and be specific: the more documented your input, the harder it is to ignore. 

If the permit is approved, the Norvell Township Board will set a performance bond sufficient to cover full site restoration. The bond can be used if AAOM fails to restore the site after mining ends or after closing a specific cell, or if the operation is inactive for 18 months or more. The amount is reviewed at each two-year permit renewal.

Norvell Township hired GEI Consultants, an engineering and environmental firm, to conduct an initial review of the Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan applications. GEI specializes in environmental assessment, water resources, geotechnical engineering, and infrastructure planning.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

The existing studies submitted by AAOM have significant gaps, and additional independent data collection is likely. The Township’s own consultant, GEI, has flagged three major problems: the traffic study was conducted in February and doesn’t reflect summer lake traffic; the noise study was based on a different site and recorded over a few days in late December; and stormwater data may be insufficient for EGLE permitting. The Township ordinance also requires independent soil borings supervised by the Township Engineer, at AAOM’s expense. IHCC has formally requested that GEI redo its entire analysis — or that the Township hire a different consultant — citing major gaps in the traffic, property value, and park impact studies.

American Aggregates of Michigan (AAOM) is proposing a 625-acre sand and gravel mining operation on land formerly part of the Glynn Trolz Ranch, featuring a stone crusher, sorting equipment, conveyor belts, and heavy earth-moving equipment running up to 13 hours a day, 5½ days a week.

The proposed site sits on both sides of Horning Road, directly adjacent to Watkins Lake State Park & County Preserve. A conveyor belt would run beneath Horning Road.

Watkins Lake sits downwind of the proposed crushing plant and directly north of planned extraction areas. The park’s waterfowl refuge, nesting birds, bald eagle nest, and surrounding habitat would all be at risk. Dust, noise, and heavy truck traffic would degrade the visitor experience as well.

Up to 18 gravel trucks per hour would travel south along one of three possible routes to M-124, passing Wamplers, Mud, and Round Lakes and through Hayes State Park. All routes are already congested in summer, and none are designed for heavy industrial traffic.

AAOM submitted its application to Norvell Township in November 2025. The Township’s consultants have flagged 28 items requiring clarification, and the Township has requested additional information, including questions submitted by IHCC. AAOM must respond before the application can move forward. Once the application is deemed complete, the Norvell Township Planning Commission will review it, hold public hearings, and open a public comment period before making a recommendation to the Township Board of Trustees, which will have the final vote to approve or deny the mine.

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The application addresses idling truck fumes by pledging to follow emission laws and keep all generated fumes within the property boundaries, but it lacks a specific technical analysis of the volume or concentration of those fumes.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

AAOM’s dust control plan includes water sprays, chemical suppressants, earthen berms up to 16 feet high, paved entrances, and a closed-loop processing system. The Township’s consultant found the general approach reasonable but flagged missing permits, no street sweeping plan, and unanswered questions about silt management.

AAOM’s lighting plan includes up to four lights on the processing plant, capped at 25 feet, with downward-facing, full cut-off lenses to protect bat species. Operational hours limit the need for nighttime lighting. IHCC has raised a concern not addressed in the application: the mining operation would flatten existing hills that currently block light from reaching the park. Without those natural barriers, industrial light spill could disrupt the park’s dark skies, migratory birds, and peaceful character. No formal light pollution study has been conducted.

AAOM states mining will stay 5 to 10 feet above the water table and that a closed-loop washing system will keep groundwater withdrawal below current agricultural irrigation levels. Ten monitoring wells would track groundwater monthly. If plans change and mining goes below the water table, the Township ordinance requires additional permitting and a full hydrological survey mapping all public and private wells, with AAOM responsible for any impacts. However, GEI has requested more detail on total water usage, and IHCC has flagged concerns not addressed in the application: the potential presence of perched groundwater and whether existing wells contain elevated nitrates from farming or naturally occurring arsenic.

The Township cannot issue a permit unless AAOM demonstrates there are no “very serious consequences” and that a market need exists for the gravel. Very serious consequences include incompatibility with existing land uses, health and safety impacts, property value decline, and traffic hazards. If AAOM cannot meet that burden, the Township must deny the permit.

No. Public hearings and community meetings are open to all — not just Norvell Township residents. Anyone with a stake in the outcome, including Irish Hills residents, park visitors, and regional stakeholders, is welcome to attend and participate.

In 2023, a Michigan legislative package (HB 4526–4528) proposed creating a statewide EGLE permitting system for sand and gravel mining. The bills died in committee without a full vote, and no active replacement has advanced since. The issue periodically resurfaces, and IHCC continues to monitor it — but our focus remains on stopping this mine through the local review process, where community voices have the most immediate impact.

The Michigan DNR has clarified that it has no authority to intervene in the proposed mine. Under current Michigan law, gravel mining on private land is regulated by local zoning, not the state. Unlike metallic mining or oil and gas drilling, the legislature has not granted the DNR oversight authority over aggregate mining operations.

EGLE is the primary wetland regulator in Michigan, issuing permits under Part 303 for any dredging, filling, construction, or drainage in regulated wetlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can also have jurisdiction under the federal Clean Water Act, though Michigan administers that authority at the state level. In this case, ASTI Environmental determined that while EGLE regulates nine wetlands on the property, the Army Corps does not have jurisdiction over them.

AAOM, an affiliate of Detroit-based Edward C. Levy Company, purchased the 625-acre site from the Trolz family specifically for this project. The land borders Watkins Lake State Park to the north and northeast, which the state and Washtenaw County acquired from the same family in 2015 and 2016. The DNR currently maintains Watkins Lake’s water levels using a well located on AAOM’s property.

The proposed operation would generate 18 trucks per hour on the haul route — one every three minutes, 20 seconds — running Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus Saturday mornings. Each truck carries up to 50 tons, with 80% of traffic heading east on US-12. AAOM’s traffic study deemed the impact negligible, but community members have challenged that conclusion, noting the baseline data was collected in February, when traffic on this lake-region road network is at its lowest.

AAOM has identified Route B (Hardcastle Road) as its preferred haul route, citing its paved surface, truck route designation, and shorter distance to a state highway. The final selection requires Township Board approval and road permits from both JCDOT and MDOT. Trucks must use only designated routes under Norvell Township Ordinance No. 38, be weighed on certified on-site scales before leaving, and AAOM is responsible for cleaning any debris carried onto public roads. JCDOT is currently developing specific permit requirements, including speed limit and road standard conditions. No dedicated real-time GPS or police enforcement program is proposed — compliance relies on existing traffic laws and Township oversight.

AAOM’s traffic study concludes no off-site road improvements are needed, but community members have challenged that conclusion, arguing it fails to account for long-term damage from heavy industrial traffic over 20 years. Reconstructing a failed road costs an estimated $450,000 per lane mile, with additional costs for drainage and bridges. AAOM is required to pay a minimum surcharge of 4 cents per ton shipped to fund road maintenance. IHCC’s Infrastructure Committee has raised concerns that this falls far short of actual road costs — neighboring counties negotiate royalties of $0.75 to $2.50 per ton — and has recommended rates of $1.81 to $7.64 per ton plus an annual 5% cost index increase. That recommendation has been submitted to the Township and passed on to AAOM for response.

AAOM proposes a 150-foot buffer zone along public roads, combining preserved trees, earthen berms ranging from 8 to 16 feet high, and natural vegetation seeded with grasses and wildflowers. Along Horning Road, berms would stretch approximately 3,000 feet. For the lake, the current proposed setback is approximately 300 feet. IHCC has argued the Township’s ordinance requires a 1,600-foot setback from any designated natural resource, and the Township’s own consultant agreed, finding the proposed setback does not appear to meet that standard and recommending the applicant review the distance for compliance.

AAOM states mining will stay 5 to 10 feet above the water table and that a closed-loop washing system will keep groundwater withdrawal below current agricultural irrigation levels. Ten monitoring wells would track groundwater monthly. If plans change and mining goes below the water table, the Township ordinance requires additional permitting and a full hydrological survey mapping all public and private wells, with AAOM responsible for remediating any impacts. GEI has requested more detail on total water usage, and IHCC has flagged concerns not addressed in the application: the potential presence of perched groundwater and whether existing wells contain elevated nitrates from farming or naturally occurring arsenic.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

A conveyor belt running through an underground tunnel beneath Horning Road would connect the south extraction area to the processing plant on the north property. Construction would require a Jackson County transportation permit and is planned to begin near the end of Phase 4.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

AAOM states mining will maintain a 150-foot setback from all designated wetlands, but two concerns remain unresolved. The Township’s consultant found the site plan does not appear to maintain the required 1,600-foot setback from Watkins Lake, and has asked the applicant to justify those distances. More troubling, AAOM’s biologist stated no prairie fens exist near the property — directly contradicting a 2017 Michigan Natural Features Inventory report identifying a 159-acre prairie fen complex with mapped areas within approximately 100 feet of the mining boundary. Prairie fens are rare, vulnerable ecosystems fed by cold groundwater springs and highly sensitive to hydrological disruption. IHCC has requested site-specific modeling to demonstrate that mining activity will not damage them.

AAOM states the mining footprint will avoid regulated wetlands on its property. However, Michigan’s Part 303 protects wetland systems that cross property lines — including wetlands within 500 feet of a lake or regulated pond — meaning on-site activity can still trigger liability for damage to adjacent wetlands. Several wetlands on the Norvell site are already regulated under Part 303 because their total area, including portions extending onto neighboring properties, exceeds five acres. Any activity that alters drainage patterns, stormwater flow, or causes erosion affecting adjacent wetlands requires an EGLE permit — regardless of where the activity occurs.

Yes. Two bald eagle nests have been identified on a peninsula extending into Watkins Lake, and a third was documented on the lake’s west side in 2012. The nests are on land adjacent to the project site, not on AAOM’s property.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.

This topic is being actively researched by the IHCC team. An update will be posted as soon as possible.