Oakridge residents expand fight against proposed TV Butte quarry

Oakridge’s long fight over the proposed TV Butte quarry widened again as Oakridge Strong became part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the Community Festivals Association, giving opponents a new way to seek grants and build partnerships after years of stalemate.

The quarry proposal from Old Hazeldell Quarry has been on Lane County’s desk since 2015. The current county files, 509-PA23-05452 and 509-PA23-05454, seek a Major Plan Amendment and Site Review to add the site to the county’s inventory of significant mineral and aggregate sites, change the designation from Forest to Natural Resource: Mineral, and rezone the land to Quarry and Mine Operations.

The Lane County Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial in July 2024, saying the plans did not adequately address noise, habitat loss and other conflicts, and warning that the area affected by the project could be larger than previously described. Oakridge Mayor Bryan Cutchen opposed the project that year as residents and local advocates with Save TV Butte kept pressing concerns about blasting, truck traffic, air pollution and water quality.

County commissioners later kept the record open for more evidence and argument before voting 3-2 in January 2025 to tentatively approve the quarry. Pat Farr, David Loveall and Ryan Ceniga supported moving it forward. If the decision is finalized, the application can still be reviewed by the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

The opposition has increasingly centered on what sits under and around TV Butte. Advocates have pointed to a University of Oregon study that suggests groundwater beneath the site is directly linked to the Oakridge city aquifer, raising fears that quarrying could affect the city’s drinking water. They have also warned about an old landfill on or near the site, saying contamination there could become a larger problem if the land is disturbed.

Wildlife remains another flashpoint. Advocates say about 300 elk frequent the area proposed for quarrying, and county staff along with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have identified habitat protections as a central issue. For Oakridge residents, the dispute has become less about one mine than about whether the town bears the costs of growth while Lane County seeks new aggregate sources for the broader region.

Quarry spokesperson Phil Donovan has said the company wants to be a long-term neighbor and provide locally needed aggregate resources. But with Oakridge Strong now operating under nonprofit status and the county process still unresolved, the TV Butte fight remained one of the town’s most enduring land-use battles.