A company's request to moor barges in the James River near two historic plantations, a wildlife refuge and a bald eagle nest has inspired tough opposition in Charles City County.

Vulcan Materials Co., a large producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel, has applied to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers to set up a mooring site near Shirley and Upper Shirley plantations.

Residents and owners of the plantations have joined the James River Association, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in expressing concern over the proposed site.

Last week, the Charles City County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the proposed location near the southern end of Presquile National Wildlife Refuge, citing concerns that barge traffic would harm the area's recreational, educational and natural resources. That part of the James also is described as spawning territory for Atlantic sturgeon.

"It's contemptible that Vulcan would pursue this application," said Tayloe M. Dameron, who owns Upper Shirley Plantation and lives there. "This is one of the few recreational boating areas that is not marred by industrialization left on the James River."

Tom Carroll, a spokesman for Vulcan Materials, said that the company undertook a comprehensive review of five or six sites and found this one to be the most practical, based on considerations such as cost, safety and environmental impact.

He said the company, which reported sales of $3 billion in 2007, intends to maintain an environmentally friendly track record. The Alabama-based company is a major producer of construction aggregates, such as crushed stone, and of other construction materials, such as asphalt and cement.

The company moves products by barge from several production facilities, including in Chester and the Petersburg area, to destinations in the Tidewater area.

The company used to moor barges at a lagoon near Curles Neck in Henrico County, but it soon will be terminating operations nearby, Carroll said.

Carroll said that moving products by barge cuts down considerably on truck traffic to Tidewater.

"The James River has been a river of commerce for centuries," Carroll said. The proposed mooring site is desirable, he said, because it is close to a main channel but away from its traffic. The area also does not require dredging and is close to the confluence of the James and Appomattox rivers.

Vulcan wants to put two mooring buoys attached by cable to weights on the river's bottom. Carroll said tugboats would move barges to the area two to four times each day. And every 40 hours or so, nine loaded barges would be moved from the mooring site downriver to Tidewater distribution points.

Opponents are calling for a public hearing before a decision is made on the application. Charles H. Carter III, manager of Shirley Plantation, which gives tours to about 40,000 people each year, also expressed concern that approval of the company's application could open the way for other companies to move barges through there.

"Once they put those buoys in," Carter said, "there's absolutely no limit."
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or rwilliams@timesdispatch.com.