WESTBROOK – The city of Westbrook has issued a violation notice to Pike Industries, charging the company with blasting too loudly on Tuesday, May 17, while building an access road to a controversial quarry operation on Spring Street.

A consent agreement between Pike and the city set ground rules for how Pike could conduct operations at the quarry. The violation notice cited the stipulation in the agreement that Pike cannot set off blasts emitting noises louder than 129 decibels.

According to data from the city’s planning office, a seismograph in the Birdland neighborhood recorded a decibel level of 129.3 on Tuesday. That same day, residents in the neighborhood said the noise was so loud it frightened them.

A copy of the warning letter to Pike does not indicate punitive action, but warned that if the next blast exceeded 129 decibels, the city could fine Pike between $100 and $2,500 per violation. Pike is allowed to blast up to 10 times for the road construction project, up through June 9.