What are you doing to help
The Save TV Butte movement has been fighting for roughly adecade to protect Oakridge from the Old Hazeldell Quarry. In 2021 we were successful in getting the permit denied.This took work — letters, phone calls, generating press, meeting with thecounty, and a lot of good old-fashioned work ethic. But Crown Properties hasre-submitted its application and is throwing the full force of its millionsbehind it. We plan on putting an end to this once and for all, no matter whatit takes! Oakridge Strong has been created to support theSave TV Butte Movement, and in 2026 Oakridge Strong has been set up as anEnvironmental and Economic 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This will allow us to spreadthe outreach for the Save TV Butte movement farther, involve corporations, andwork on grants to help fight our cause and to help build on Oakridge, Westfir,and their rural areas — bringing more visibility to the Save TV Butte Movement.
Who owns Old Hazeldell Quarry?
Old Hazeldell Quarry LLC is owned by Crown Properties, atrust of the King family including Ed King of King Estate Winery.
I know the quarry is bad, but won't it at least bring jobs?
While Old Hazeldell Quarry notes they could provide only 10onsite jobs, those are not guaranteed to go to local residents. Also, the quarry threatens Oakridge’s current tourismeconomy, which currently supports far more than 10 jobs. Tourism is Oakridge’slifeblood — mountain biking, outdoor recreation, festivals, and hospitality. The quarry’s impacts (dust, blasting, truck traffic,degraded viewshed, water risks) could reduce tourism revenue and thereforeeliminate more jobs than it creates.
It's the quarry's land. Why should I care what they do?
Besides the immense health concerns of living next to a quarry from silica dust, multiple possible groundwater concerns based on the aquifer and landfill, and concern of issues with fire mitigation impacts in our area due to loss of 5,000 gallons of water per day, there's also an often overlooked concern: property values. On average, property within a mile of the quarry will lose about 19% of its value as soon as a quarry begins. Over half of Oakridge's homes are within that mile. If the quarry is approved, this could mean millions in lost property value and potential financial ruin for many. Not to mention how you could be impacted if there was groundwater contamination. Citizens would not know until we started getting sick. If the landfill is connected to any contamination, it would bankrupt the town, completely tanking any remaining property values in our homes. We would have nothing left and no equity to help us move on elsewhere.
Why Do We Anticipate Potential Challenges?
Our caution isn’t hypothetical — it’s based on real issues that have already occurred in nearby communities affected by large quarry operations. Surrounding areas such as Dexter and Prineville have experienced significant environmental and water‑related problems linked to blasting, excavation, and the disturbance of volcanic rock formations. These cases offer important lessons for Oakridge, especially as TV Butte sits directly above the town’s aquifer recharge zone. Understanding what happened elsewhere helps us anticipate what could happen here. \## \*\*Parvin Butte Quarry / Dexter\*\* Just a few miles west on Highway 58, the Parvin Butte Quarry had damaging effects on Dexter, Oregon — impacts that closely mirror the risks Oakridge faces. Local residents allege that blasting operations dried up water wells relied on for farming and everyday life. Many quarries, including the proposed Old Hazeldell Quarry, use ammonium nitrate–fuel oil (ANFO) to fracture large rock formations. This type of blasting has been observed to disrupt groundwater flow, fracture aquifers, and disturb wildlife habitats. The Dexter experience shows how quickly blasting can alter water availability in communities with shallow or interconnected groundwater systems, making it a relevant warning for Oakridge’s own aquifer‑dependent households. \## \*\*Knife River Quarry / Prineville\*\* Prineville provides another cautionary example. The Knife River quarry operates in volcanic rock formations similar to those found on TV Butte. When blasting and excavation fractured these formations, manganese levels in nearby wells increased significantly. This is important because the Old Hazeldell Quarry application indicates operators would be digging into volcanic rock on TV Butte — the same type of geology associated with manganese mobilization in Prineville. The University of Oregon hydrogeology study provides evidence suggesting that Oakridge’s aquifer is hydraulically connected to TV Butte and this aquifer sits \*\*upgrade\*\* from town, meaning disturbances on the butte can directly influence groundwater quality and flow downhill. If blasting exposes or fractures volcanic rock, manganese and other minerals can leach into the aquifer more easily, just as they did in Prineville. Combined with ANFO blasting, which can alter groundwater chemistry, the parallels between the two sites are striking. And it is important to note that Prineville didn’t have an old landfill that ALSO sits above the aquifer like Oakridge does — a landfill that Oakridge is liable for and which the proposed quarry’s processing center will surround. So not only could nearby blasting impact the structural stability of this old landfill, but you will have an industrial rock crusher vibrating away 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for the next 3–5 decades, with a flow of gravel trucks traveling around the old landfill’s “assumed” perimeter, with loads of gravel being dumped into the average of 86 trucks per day. We have been and will continue to keep up to date on this fight in Prineville and keep folks here in the loop, so we can keep people informed on what kind of trouble Oakridge/Westfir could face if Old Hazeldell Quarry is approved.
