After more than a year of recovery following a historic flooding event, our Heidelberg Materials Tyrone Quarry in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, is fully operational once again. Earlier this summer, the team hosted a community event to mark the quarry's reopening, welcoming employees, customers, local partners and community members to celebrate its return to full operations and recognize the extraordinary recovery effort.
In April of last year, weeks of heavy rain and rising river levels flooded approximately 130 to 140 acres of underground workings, sending an estimated 1.6 to 1.7 billion gallons of water into the mine. The recovery required continuous pumping, major equipment replacement, extensive site restoration and close coordination with regulatory agencies.
Despite the scale of the challenge, the Tyrone team remained focused and resilient. Employees supported one another throughout the recovery, with many temporarily reassigned to other operations so the company could retain its workforce while restoration efforts continued. The quarry also continued serving customers from existing inventory for much of the shutdown.
"Recovering from a flood of this magnitude tested every part of our operation," said Chris Shaffer, Vice President/General Manager Materials. "Critical equipment had to be replaced and the site rebuilt, but our team never lost sight of safety. Thanks to the dedication of our employees and the support of our partners, we completed this work without a single injury, lost-time incident or medical treatment case."
The successful recovery reflects the resilience of the Tyrone team and the strong partnerships that helped restore the operation safely. With the quarry back in business, the site is once again positioned to serve customers and support the Lawrenceburg community for years to come.