[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Harmony 11-2-1982 by Ord. No. 0:82-5 (Ch. 128 of the 1990 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 5-2-2023 by Ord. No. 23-05]
A. 
All persons, firms or corporations hereinafter desiring to operate any sand and gravel pit or other industrial excavation within the Township of Harmony shall, before commencing such operation or excavation or continuing any operation during any calendar year, apply to the Township Committee for a permit to conduct such operation or excavation. Applications for such permits shall be furnished upon request from the Township Clerk, which, upon submission by the applicant, should have annexed thereto a plot plan, both of which shall be in accordance with §§ 351-5 and 351-6 hereof. Upon a determination being made that the application is complete and prior to the issuance of the permit, a public hearing shall be conducted upon the application therefor by the Township Committee, upon 15 days' notice, in writing, to the applicant and the owners of the adjoining premises, setting forth the time and place thereof, at which time all interested persons shall be given an opportunity to appear and be heard.
B. 
Application for such permit shall be filed no less than 10 days before February 1 of the application year. Any permit(s) issued pursuant to this chapter shall last three years, commencing on February 1 and expiring on January 31, three years after the issuance, or renewal, thereof.
A. 
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
OPERATOR
Any person engaged in and controlling the business of conducting a quarry.
PERSON
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind.
QUARRY AND INDUSTRIAL EXCAVATION
A place where stone, shale, slate or gravel or other natural material is excavated, crushed, washed, graded or otherwise processed. The excavation of sand, gravel or other natural mineral deposits for incidental use on the premises, for grading such premises or in connection with the construction of buildings or other structures in conjunction with an approved subdivision or site plan is permitted in any district, provided that the same is not prohibited pursuant to the terms of Chapter 525, Zoning.
[Amended 8-7-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-15]
QUARRYING
Those aspects of the business of conducting a quarry as relate directly to the excavation and processing of stone, shale, slate, gravel or other natural material and the removal thereof from quarry premises.
RECLAMATION
The reconditioning of the area of land affected by quarrying operations to restore the same to a productive use after termination of quarrying operations consistent with the Master Plan adopted by the Land Use Board of the Township of Harmony.
RECLAMATION PLAN
A written proposal approved by the governing body of the Township of Harmony for reclamation of the area of land affected by quarrying operations, including land use objectives, specifications for grading, manner and type of vegetations and such maps and other supporting documents as may be required by the governing body.
B. 
Terms and words not defined in the Harmony Township Site Plan Ordinance, the Harmony Township Subdivision Ordinance or the Harmony Township Zoning Ordinance, hereinafter referred to as the "Land Use Regulations,"[1] shall have, for the purposes of this chapter, the meanings given them in the Land Use Regulations as the same now reads or may be amended.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 376, Site Plan Review; Ch. 425, Subdivision of Land; and Ch. 525, Zoning.
C. 
Terms and words not defined in any of the foregoing sources shall have the meanings established by common usage of the words unless the context herein clearly indicates the contrary.
Hours of operation shall be from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on all weekdays, Mondays through Saturdays. On all Sundays there shall be no operation other than such operation as may be necessary for maintenance of equipment. No machinery or motor vehicles shall be operated upon the sand and gravel pit and/or industrial excavation site prior or subsequent to the permitted hours of operation hereinbefore mentioned.
A. 
Quarrying as may be permitted pursuant to the terms of the Harmony Township Zoning Ordinance[1] variances or exceptions granted thereto or as preexisting uses shall be subject to the applicable provisions of this chapter relative thereto.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 525, Zoning.
B. 
Quarrying for commercial purposes shall be permitted only in accordance with the following terms and conditions.
The plot plan and application shall contain, as a minimum, the following information:
A. 
Maps and plans submitted in compliance with this chapter shall be 24 inches by 36 inches.
B. 
The title block shall include the following information:
(1) 
The name of the quarry.
(2) 
The name, address, membership or license of the professional person who prepared the drawings.
(3) 
The date of the drawing.
(4) 
The drawing reference number.
(5) 
The scale of the drawing.
C. 
Drawings shall also include the following:
(1) 
A North arrow and reference meridian.
(2) 
The date of the original drawing and date and the nature of all subsequent revisions.
(3) 
A graphic scale.
D. 
General plot plan requirements:
(1) 
The plot plan shall reflect standards for development in Subsection E.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(2) 
The plot plan shall be drawn at a scale in accordance with the following table:
Area of Site
(acres)
Scale Not To Be Less Than
Less than 40
1 inch equals 50 feet
Over 40
1 inch equals 100 feet
(3) 
The plan shall include the following data:
(a) 
The name and address of the operation and the owner and the name, address and title of the person preparing the plan and maps, including appropriate map titles and accompanying data.
(b) 
The acreage, Municipal Tax Map lot and block numbers and tax sheet numbers of the lot or lots.
(c) 
A key location map showing the site and its relationship to surrounding areas and zone boundaries within a minimum of 1/4 mile.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(d) 
All existing, proposed and minimum required setback dimensions as required by the Zoning Ordinance.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 525, Zoning.
(e) 
Landscaped areas, fencing and trees over four inches in diameter, except that where trees are in mass, only the limits thereof, if proposed to remain, need be shown, or, if proposed for removal, only trees over nine inches in diameter need be shown.
(f) 
All existing and proposed signs and utility poles and their size, type of construction and location.
(g) 
The existing and proposed principal building or structures and all accessory buildings or structures.
(h) 
The location of all existing buildings, drainage and parking area within 200 feet of the lot.
(i) 
Existing topography depicted by contours at two-foot intervals based upon New Jersey Geodetic Control Survey datum for the site and areas within 50 feet of the site. Topography shall be no less than four years old for the entire site and shall be updated annually for those areas which have been modified or otherwise disturbed.
[Amended 8-7-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-15]
(j) 
An accurate boundary survey prepared and certified by a New Jersey licensed land surveyor. The survey shall be based on a field traverse with an error of closure not less than one part in 10,000.
(k) 
The approximate location and size of all existing and proposed storm drainage facilities, plus all design data supporting the adequacy of the existing or proposed facility to handle future storm flows and analysis of the capacity of the facility into which the stormwater will flow; an analysis of the stormwater increase or decrease created by the quarry.
(l) 
The location of all existing and proposed sidewalks, driveways, fences, retaining walls, parking space areas and the layouts thereof and all off-street loading areas, together with the dimensions of all the foregoing on the site in question and within 100 feet of said site.
(m) 
The estimated average number of automobiles and number and size and type of trucks that will enter and leave the site each day.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(n) 
The location, size and nature of all existing and proposed rights-of-way, easements and other encumbrances which may affect the lot or lots in question.
(o) 
The location, size and nature of the entire lot or lots in question and any contiguous lots owned by the owner/operator or in which the owner/operator has a direct or indirect interest, the date of acquisition of each tract and the deed book and page in which the acquisition is filed.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(p) 
Plans and profiles of streets adjoining the property for a distance of 500 feet in either direction, including the location of driveways and intersecting streets and an indication of what the maximum available sight distance shall be if a new driveway is proposed or if deemed necessary by the Township Committee.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(q) 
The general nature and extent of site lighting and intended hours of usage.
(r) 
The method of sewage disposal and water supply.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(s) 
Tax Map lot and block numbers and the names of owners of all properties within 200 feet of the site.
(t) 
A landscape and planting plan which, as a minimum, shall spot the location of all existing plantings to be retained and all plantings to be established and shall contain a schedule, keyed to the plantings shown, calling out the type (common name and botanical name), size (height, spread and trunk diameter) at the time of planting and at maturity and quantity of all plantings shown on the plant.
(u) 
The location of any other feature directly on the property and beyond the property, if such feature has an effect on the use of said property.
(v) 
Such information or data as may be required by the governing body in order to determine that the details of the site plan are in accord with the standards of the ordinances of the Township.
(w) 
Copies of all applicable local, state and federal permits that may be required.
(4) 
The plans shall be prepared and signed by a professional engineer licensed in New Jersey except for certification by other licensed professionals as required by this chapter or New Jersey law.
E. 
Reclamation information. In addition to the foregoing basic data, the following restoration and operational data shall be included:
(1) 
Contours at two-foot intervals depicting the following.
(a) 
The final grading of the quarry.
(b) 
The grading of any interim stages which are anticipated prior to final site grading.
(c) 
Operations anticipated to be completed within the period of the permit.
(d) 
The extent of operations in previous permit periods which shall be determined by field measurements.
(2) 
The location and water surface elevation of any groundwater encountered in operations.
(3) 
The location of topsoil stockpiles.
(4) 
Soil erosion measures to be installed.
(5) 
Restoration details as to soil stabilization and buffering, including specifications as to reestablishing ground cover in both final and interim stages.
(6) 
An analysis of the natural angle of repose as determined by a qualified soils engineer.
(7) 
A report as to anticipated noise levels and dust conditions and an analysis as to compliance with standards hereinafter described.
(8) 
An estimate of the cost required to restore the site to its final condition.
The following construction standards shall be adhered to in quarrying operations:
A. 
Slopes.
(1) 
Final slopes shall be determined by the natural angle of repose of the material but in no case shall be greater than three horizontal and one vertical.
(2) 
Interim slopes may be as recommended by a soils engineering analysis of the material to be quarried; slopes steeper than three to one shall be protected by a substantial fence.
(3) 
Tops of slopes shall not be less than 100 feet to any property line or 100 feet to any roadway. Interim slopes shall not after sloughing result in a top of slope closer than that described above.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2; 6-11-1996 by Ord. No. 0:96-6]
(4) 
Slopes below the water level in any pit containing water shall not be steeper than the angle of repose of the fill material. Soil testing and slope stability analysis shall be provided to determine the finished slope utilizing a factor of safety of 1.5 (minimum). Finished slopes above the water surface shall be sloped in accordance with § 351-6A(1). If any data relative to historical documentation of water surface elevations within the pit are available, the average recorded water surface elevation shall be utilized to establish the base elevation between the underwater and above-water slopes.
[Added 11-3-2020 by Ord. No. 20-7]
B. 
Restoration staging.
(1) 
Sites with a disturbed area in excess of 15 acres shall provide for a staged restoration plan. Such plan shall provide for placement of topsoil and grassed covering and slopes in compliance with the requirements for final slopes for all areas in excess of 15 acres.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
(2) 
Restoration staging may provide for temporary and permanent restoration; however, in either case, final grading and vegetative cover requirements shall be adhered to.
C. 
Vegetative requirements:
(1) 
No topsoil shall be removed from the site until final restoration is accomplished or until it is demonstrated by an engineering analysis that adequate topsoil exists to meet the requirements herein.
(2) 
Topsoil shall be replaced on the site to a depth of not less than six inches.
(3) 
All areas not disturbed shall be maintained either with grass cover or as an active agricultural operation.
(4) 
All area which has been restored either on an interim or final basis shall be reseeded in accordance with Soil Conservation Service standards or shall be in an active agricultural usage.
(5) 
Buffers shall be established and planted as follows:
(a) 
Along roadways: Width shall be a minimum of 50 feet with evergreen screening spaced at 10 feet center to center with plants a minimum of six feet high at the time of planting.
(b) 
Along other property lines:
[1] 
With dwellings within 300 feet: screening as provided in Subsection C(5)(a) above.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
[2] 
All other areas: Existing vegetation within buffers shall be maintained.
D. 
After completion of operations, the area shall be made usable for a use permitted by the Harmony Township Zoning Ordinance.[1][2]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 525, Zoning.
[2]
Editor's Note: Original Subsection E of the 1990 Code, which immediately followed this subsection and which provided that no water areas shall remain after final grading fill shall be installed to a minimum depth of two feet above maximum groundwater level, was repealed 11-3-2020 by Ord. No. 20-7.
E. 
Adequate drainage provision shall be made for both during and subsequent to completion of operation. Provision for drainage design as provided in the Harmony Township Subdivision Ordinance[3] shall control.
[3]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 148, Subdivision of Land.
F. 
All reclamation operations shall be completed within 12 months after completion of operations within a given area.
G. 
No substance shall be emitted into the atmosphere in quantities which are injurious to human, plant or animal life or to the property or which will interfere unreasonably with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property anywhere in the Township. All provisions of the New Jersey Air Pollution Control Code, as amended and as augmented by regulations, hereinafter designated as the "code," shall be complied with.
H. 
Noise. There shall be no noise emanating from any operation or use measured at the property lines which exceeds the values given in Table I in any octave band of frequency after applying the corrections shown in Table II. The sound-pressure level shall be measured with sound-level meters and/or analyzers conforming to United States of America Standard Specification for General-Purpose Sound Level Meters S1.4-1961, or latest revision, United States of America Standard Specification for Octave, Half-Octave and Third-Octave Band Filter Sets, S1.11-1966, or latest revision, published by United States of America Institute, New York, New York.
Table I
Octave Band Center Frequency
(cycles per second)
Sound-Pressure Level in Decibels
(re 0.0002 dyne/cm2)
31.5
59
63
58
125
57
250
50
500
45
1,000
40
2,000
37
4,000
33
8,000
29
Table II
Type or Location of Operation or Character of Noise
Correction*
(decibels)
Daytime operation only
5
Noise source operations less than*
20% of any 1-hour period
5
5% of any 1-hour period
10
Noise of impulsive character (hammering, etc.)
-5
Noise of periodic character (hum, screech, etc.)
-5
*NOTE: Apply one of these corrections only.
I. 
Vibration. In any zone, no vibrations discernible without instruments at the measuring point shall be permitted.
[Added 6-11-1996 by Ord. No. 0:96-6]
This chapter shall become effective upon final passage and publication as required by law. All ordinances or parts thereof in conflict with the provisions of this chapter are hereby repealed.
[Amended 5-3-1983 by Ord. No. 0:83-2; 8-7-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-15]
The Township Engineer shall, based upon the plan of rehabilitation and estimate of rehabilitation quantities submitted by the applicant, prepare a performance guaranty estimate for submission to the governing body relative to the costs incident to the proposed restoration or improvement of the site upon conclusion of the excavation or stripping operations. No permit shall be issued by the governing body until such time as a performance guaranty is posted by the applicant with the Township in an amount equal to the performance guaranty estimate prepared by the Township Engineer in the manner hereinbefore set forth, which said performance guaranty shall be approved as to form by the Township Attorney and be in effect at all times during the period in which the operation is being conducted pursuant to the permit and thereafter so as to ensure the rehabilitation of the site in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary hereinbefore contained, the term of the performance guaranty shall be two years, commencing on the date of the issuance of the permit. The governing body shall, no later than December 31 of the year following the issuance of a permit, release the previously posted performance guaranty; provided, however, that a new performance guaranty has been posted with the Township. If a new permit is not issued, the governing body shall, before the expiration of the performance guaranty, require the licensee, obligor or surety to restore the licensed premises in accordance with the terms of the reclamation plan. If the governing body fails, upon expiration of the term of the performance guaranty, to release the performance guaranty or pursue the Township's remedies under the performance guaranty through the initiation of proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction, to require restoration of the licensed premises, in accordance with the terms of the reclamation plan, the licensee, obligor or surety may thereafter notify the governing body, in writing, by certified mail, addressed to the attention of the Municipal Clerk, with a copy of such notice to the Municipal Attorney and Engineer, of its intention to exercise its right to terminate the performance guaranty. In the event that the governing body fails to notify the licensee, obligor or surety within 65 days following receipt of the aforesaid notice of the extent of the work to be performed to effect the restoration of the licensed premises in accordance with the terms of the reclamation plan, thereafter, upon failure of the governing body to provide such notice within 65 days, it shall be deemed to constitute release of the performance guaranty.
[Added 8-7-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-15]
The governing body shall, in determining whether to grant or deny the application for the permit, in addition to the matters hereinbefore mentioned, consider the suitability of the reclaimed site for a use permitted in the zone or district pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Zoning Ordinance.[1] In addition to the matters hereinbefore described, the governing body shall give consideration to the adverse residual effects of unregulated businesses of this nature upon the public safety, health and general welfare, the devaluation of real estate resulting from ultimate abandonment of excavations, pits and declivities below the level of surrounding lands causing surface waters to collect in inordinate quantities, providing breeding places for mosquitoes, problems of waste due to erosion by wind and water, unusual practical difficulties created in surface water drainage, soil fertility, the necessity for slopes and grades and the ultimate detrimental effect that a repetition of stripping and excavating parcel after parcel of land might have upon the taxable wealth and normal development of the Township.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 165, Zoning.
A. 
Application forms shall be obtained from the Township Clerk in a form prescribed by the governing body.
B. 
Applications shall be filed with the Township Engineer, who shall determine whether the application is complete. In making such determination, the Township Engineer shall be guided by and apply the standards embodied under § 351-5 hereof. Upon determining that the application is complete, the Township Engineer shall notify the governing body that a public hearing date can be established. If the application is incomplete, he shall notify the owner of the reasons for the determination. The determination shall, in general, be made within 60 days of the submittal.
C. 
The application shall consist of the following:
Number Required
Document
Submittal for Determination
Submittal Within 10 days of Determination
Application forms
3
8
Plans
3
8
Supporting documents
3
8
Fees
Due at this stage
--
D. 
After granting of the license, the owner shall deliver one Mylar reproducible of all plans.
In no event shall a permit be revoked or rescinded by the Township Committee, except upon notice to the permittee affording the permittee an opportunity to be heard, which notice shall be given to the holder of the permit at least 15 days prior to the date of the scheduled hearing and shall set forth the time and place thereof, together with a description of the charges alleged against such permittee.
[Amended 12-27-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-19; 7-2-2013 by Ord. No. 13-2; 5-2-2023 by Ord. No. 23-05]
A permit fee of $1,500 shall be payable to the Township for the issuance of a permit, which shall expire on January 31, three years following the issuance thereof. No permit fee shall be prorated for a portion of the three years' term during which it might be issued. A permit, upon its expiration on January 31, shall be renewed for an additional three years' term, during which the operation is in effect, for which an additional $1,500 fee shall be due and owing and payable to the Township. No permit shall be assignable.
[Amended 12-27-1990 by Ord. No. 0:83-2]
Any person, firm, corporation, partnership or association to whom a permit shall be issued shall obtain and deliver to the Township a public liability insurance policy with limits of liability of not less than $1,000,000 covering bodily injury to each person and of at least $2,000,000 liability for any one accident and property damage liability with limits of not less than $100,000 for each accident relative to liability arising from any operations or activities incidental to and during the period in which the business is conducted pursuant to the permit.
[Amended 8-7-1990 by Ord. No. 0:90-15; 11-1-2022 by Ord. No. 22-6]
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalty provisions in Chapter 1, Article II, General Penalty, of the Code of the Township of Harmony.
[Added 12-3-1996 by Ord. No. 0:96-15; amended 5-2-2023 by Ord. No. 23-05]
Quarrying for commercial purposes and the aspects of quarrying as defined in this chapter shall be presumed abandoned and the operation shall be presumed as discontinued as to the entire site for which previous quarry permits have been issued whenever the required quarry operating permit for the continued use of the site has not been applied for within two years of the expiration date of the most recently-approved permit. No quarrying operations shall thereafter be resumed on the site except upon an application to the Harmony Township Land Use Board for a determination or decision upon a special question as to whether the quarrying operation has been abandoned and, if said determination or decision results in a conclusion that the operation has been abandoned, the receipt of use variance approval to permit the resumption thereof. The quarry operator shall further be required to obtain the permit as specified in § 351-1 herein as to a precondition to the resumption of any quarrying operations.
[Added 5-2-2023 by Ord. No. 23-05]
The Township Engineer, or his qualified designee, shall, in the Engineer's or designee's discretion, conduct any and all inspections deemed necessary to ensure compliance with this chapter. Such inspection(s) shall be conducted following appropriate, written notice to the property owner, and/or the quarry operator.