Erica Olmstead bought her property in Bush, Louisiana, in 2022 thinking it would be her forever home.
Olmstead, a disabled veteran suffering from chronic bronchitis and other respiratory issues, moved from Covington to the rural forested community of ranchers and homesteaders, thinking it would provide her clean water, clean air and peace.
Instead, she’s worried that a plan for a commercial excavation, or a “dirt pit,” next to her property could threaten her refuge.
Waldheim Materials LLC is proposing the project to excavate red clay and other materials for use in construction. The dirt pit would be 24 acres wide and could reach about 30 to 40 feet deep, according to the application submitted to the St. Tammany Parish Planning & Zoning Commission. After digging, Waldheim plans to backfill the pit with soils and organic material to allow the property to become a greenspace again.
The project requires a conditional use permit in order to move forward. It’s on the agenda to be heard at St. Tammany’s Zoning & Planning Commission meeting Tuesday evening (Sept. 1).
“ If they approve this dirt pit, I will be royally screwed,” Olmstead said. “No one's gonna wanna buy it. I won't be able to sell. I'll be sick constantly. So I'll be stuck in a home, sick, with no way to escape.”
Waldheim Materials’ permit application argues the dirt pit is needed for construction to accommodate the growing population of the parish because there are not enough local sources of construction material.
“Many existing material sources in the area are approaching the end of their productive excavation life,” the application reads.
St. Tammany is one of the fastest growing parishes in the state, increasing in population by about 13% between 2010 and 2020. This prompted parish officials to adopt a masterplan in 2022, New Directions 2040, which defines how that growth changes the parish over the next 20 years without coming at the expense of “residents, businesses and the environment.”
Residents of Bush who live near the planned dirt pit worry it would do just that. They have voiced concerns about traffic, air pollution and potential negative impacts to the aquifer supplying their well water.
“There is nothing in there for our benefit, [or] for the benefit of the surrounding community,” said Brock Dumestre, another resident opposed to the project. “It is all solely for the benefit of the applicant and the benefit really of St. Tammany Parish.”.
Impact on rural livelihood
Most households in this area rely on wellwater from the Chicot Equivalent aquifer system. Residents worry the excavation could contaminate or even penetrate the aquifer, letting water out. This happened with another dirt pit in the area in the early ‘90s.
Residents are also worried about the pollution from trucks and heavy machinery as well as the dust from the excavation and backfilling. Many are concerned about the impacts of this on their livestock and horses as well.
Juliette Thompson owns Alegria Ranch, a stable where she does animal therapy for students with special needs. She worries about potential pollution impacting the animals’ health and the potential noise scaring both her horses and her students.
“We're gonna have horses that are gonna spook,” she said. “I have rescue animals that need pure clean water, as well as being able to have peace and quiet for my students because of their sensory issues.”
Waldheim Materials’ application points out there are at least five other dirt pits already in the area. But residents have countered that some of those pits are inactive, and some of them have a documented history of compliance issues that caused the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to step in.
Residents said they’re worried if there are issues with this dirt pit, the state will only step in after the damage has been done.
”Because by the time (LDEQ) comes and investigates, the stuff that was there has already been buried,” said Janet Burroff, another Bush resident.
Petitioner’s past controversies
Glynn Huhn, the petitioner listed on Waldheim’s permit application, has faced public controversies surrounding dirt pits in the past. In 1997, nearby residents of one dirt pit alleged he violated its conditional use permit by operating trucks early in the morning and late in the evening. In 2011, residents feared a zoning change for another dirt pit owned by an LLC managed by Huhn would open up the area to fracking.
Jeff Schoen, a lawyer representing Huhn and Walheim Materials in the permit process, declined to comment on Huhn’s behalf.
The zoning commission’s staff has recommended that the council postpone a decision on the permit until Waldheim Materials provides more information necessary for the backfilling part of the project, which was not in the original application.
“New Directions 2040 generally supports preserving rural character and limiting uses that generate substantial traffic, noise, or other impacts in rural areas,” said the staff in a report to the council. “The additional information will allow staff to better evaluate the proposed excavation in light of those policies, particularly given the scale and duration of the operation and its proximity to existing residential development.”
The commission had already postponed a decision on this permit during its last meeting on August 4, 2026, because of missing application materials.
