Picture Tour Of The
Lockport Quarry
Main Lobby For
Lockport Museum of Rocks, Minerals & Fossils
Every Day...We're Digging Up Dirt, Information, and History!
www.Lockport-NY.com
Today and Yesterday's
PICTURE OF LOCKPORT
The Lockport Quarry, on the western border of the city with main entry at 400 Hinman Road, is now owned and operated by a Lafarge North American, headquartered in Herdon, VA. The Lockport operation is designated as a part of Redland Quarries of New York, Inc., the Lafarge subsidiary which also has quarries at 8875 Quarry Road in Niagara Falls and 7712 Rochester Road at Gasport. All of these quarries were favorite collection spots for Lockportians back in the middle of the 20th century. However, today liability issues and corporate policies make access to the quarries by the public more difficult and illegal without special permission. Such permissions are granted, however, for mineral collectors and those interested should inquire to the Lockport management. Shown below one of the many roads that wind through the 600+ acres of stone excavation at the Lockport Quarry. Millions of dollars in stone handling equipment is on site such as that shown in the picture.
The Lockport Quarry opened in the early 1940's and has gone through multiple ownership. It is one of the largest quarries in New York State. As of 2000, it had remaining reserves of nearly 50-million tons. When depleted, perhaps in about 20 years, the owners say the quarry will be reclaimed for agricultural use and a large man-made lake created from the excavations. Today, to prevent the excavations from filling in with water, a constant pumping operation is necessary.
One of the byproducts of stone production is a very fine lime dust which is gathered for sale as an agricultural supplement for farm operations. The main pile is shown below. About 75,000 tons of this agricultural limestone, useful in controlling soil acidity, is produced here yearly.
Operations at the Lafarge quarry are mainly seasonal. Winter months are used in maintenance operations. Besides stone production, the company operates a modern asphalt plant here, producing about 300,000 tons of the hot mix per year.
Someday...perhaps 20 years from now, the huge excavation below will all be filled with water. It would slowly fill today from rain and groundwater if it were not for the constant pumping. Groundwater collected on site provides all the needs and then some for the quarry operations. Wastewater and surplus water not used in operations from the quarry ends up being pumped the nearby Erie Barge Canal.
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THE PICTURE OF LOCKPORT