A: KBDJ is an Austin-based company mining limestone at a small quarry between Buda and Dripping Springs. Currently, KBDJ is supplying road base to a variety of Hays County projects and to Industrial Asphalt, Inc., a company that produces roughly 700,000 tons of asphalt to the Greater Austin area. KBDJ also provides road base, house pad material and environmental protection stone to the Hays County area.

A: Aggregate companies follow the rock, so to speak. The site off F.M. 967 is blessed with a natural abundance of the highest quality limestone and aggregate materials that are the essential building blocks of our growing region and state. KBDJ has a 50-year lease with the property owner to mine limestone.

A: KBDJ adheres to the emissions levels allowed by our permit. KBDJ was granted this permit by the TCEQ after the TCEQ Commissioners determined that the emissions controls technology we use are the best available and that KBDJ will achieve all applicable standards for reducing and controlling dust. As part of the Texas Emission Reduction Plan, KBDJ purchased a new low-emission loader in December 2007 to replace an older unit. The machine complies with Tier III emission standards, the strictest standard currently allowed by law.

A: KBDJ’s industrial production well is installed in the Middle Trinity Aquifer - not the Edward’s Aquifer, which is the source of water for neighboring residential communities. As a regulated business located over the Edwards’ Aquifer recharge zone, KBDJ’s activities are regularly monitored by the TCEQ and the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BS/EACD). Tests conducted regularly at three water quality monitoring wells on site and submitted to public agencies have confirmed that KBDJ's quarrying operations in no way threaten the water supply.

A: Due to changes in the weather and demand for raw materials, the number of daily loads varies greatly. It is important to note that with the tremendous growth and development occurring in Hays County, a large number of the trucks you encounter on the roads are not affiliated with KBDJ.

KBDJ LP does not own a fleet of trucks, nor does it employ truck drivers. Deliveries from our quarry are made by third-party trucking companies. However, we do enforce strict safety precautions for drivers entering and leaving our site, including:

• Prohibiting east-bound truck traffic 30 minutes before and after the bell rings at Dahlstrom Middle School.
• Requiring all loaded trucks to be weighed and prohibiting any overloaded trucks from leaving the site until they dump excess material.
• Implementing a strict on-site safety program that includes banning truckers who are identified as operating recklessly.

A: As publicly stipulated in our TCEQ air quality permit special conditions, the rock crusher can only operate between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for 250 days each year.

A: Ruby Ranch is a beautiful community and remains a highly desirable neighborhood. In 2005, KBDJ commissioned a study of property tax values in the Ruby Ranch neighborhood. Researchers analyzed the values of all 330 parcels in the neighborhood and conducted interviews with Hays Appraisal District staff. The study found - and the Chief Appraiser confirmed - that no property tax values were reduced because of the quarry operation.

A: Our doors are always open to anyone interested in learning more about the quarry. To schedule a tour, please call (512) 275-0303.