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Long Island Residents Say Nearby Sand Mine Causing Their Homes To Shake

MIDDLE ISLAND, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Some Long Island residents say they're picking up bad vibrations.

They believe changes in the way sand is being excavated at nearby sand mines are causing their houses to rattle, CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported Monday.

According to Michele Renz and her family, the vibrations aren't good.

"As I was getting ready for work. My mirror that was up just came crashing down," Renz said.

She was grateful the children weren't hurt when the mirror collapsed.

"This corner particularly, just keeps cracking," Renz said.

Long Island sand mine
(Photo: CBS2)

Her neighbors on Vintage Court said they have noticed the same thing intermittently over the past months.

"We started getting cracks here," one person said.

"All the windows vibrate. The shades in the window vibrate," another person said.

They said they suspect a nearby sand mine is causing their houses to rattle.

Coram Materials has been in operation in the area since the 1960s on 272 acres. It recently overhauled its sand-excavating system. The sand is used for concrete.

"They moved the dredges south on the property. That's actually when it all started," a neighbor said.

The company also added a two-mile long conveyor belt and switched from diesel to electric grid power. Neighbors contacted the state Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate. It is now working with PSEG to pinpoint the source.

"It's like a nightmare. You don't want to ever have to deal with that. If you foundation cracks, you're going to have some serious issues long term with your house," a neighbor said.

The sand mine said it wants to be a good neighbor and has commissioned acoustical engineering and seismograph studies to further evaluate the issue.

"We put Spackle, but it just keeps cracking," Renz said.

Homeowners said they just want to know if there is a correlation between the sand mining and their bad vibrations.

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