Councillors here appear to have little objection to a property being switched from agriculture to extractive, to allow another gravel pit along Middlebrook Road.
Council held a public meeting on Nov. 26 regarding switching the zoning of a property on Middlebrook Road from agricultural to allow aggregate extraction.
The property is at 7193 Middlebrook Road, in the former Township of Pilkington.
Planner Brett Salmon said the property along the Middlebrook Road is known as the Simpson pit.
The current Murray Group complex of gravel pits is directly across the road.
Salmon said the proposed licence boundary is the same as for the zoning amendment.
The application was received by the township in 2011.
Salmon said the site plans and technical reports were sent for peer review.
He noted there have been no neighbour comments come forward.
Salmon did note comments from the Federation of Agriculture regarding plans for progressive rehabilitation of the site.
The main concern, Salmon said, was to ensure the land would be restored to its pre-extraction agricultural capability.
He said that is part of the licence requirement.
On behalf of the Murray Group, planner Rob Stovel provided an overview of the operation.
As a result of previous applications, Stovel said the Murray Group has tried to work with the neighbours to identify and resolve any outstanding issues in advance of the application/public meeting.
Those issues are outlined on the site map, Stovel said.
He added that may also be one of the reasons, there is not a lot of letters directed to council because of the application.
Stovel said about a year has passed since the initial application.
The area being rezoned is 13.7 hectares, while the area to be extracted is 10.9 hectares, Stovel said.
He noted the property is just south of Middlebrook Road.
In the area are two creeks which come together – Carroll Creek and Middlebrook Creek.
The two creeks meet within 90 metres of the proposed licence area. The proposed pit boundary also runs parallel to Carroll Creek.
Stovel noted that extraction will be above the water table (five metre minimum).
He noted the property is currently being used as agricultural and to the south edge of the property is a woodlot associated with Carroll Creek.
The annual tonnage limit proposed is 350,000 tonnes per year – though Stovel estimated the actual amount would be much lower.
Middlebrook Road would also be the haul route with traffic heading from the pit towards Elora.
As the site is processed, Stovel said, the topsoil would be stripped separately from the subsoil.
Each soil type would be placed in separate berms.
The aggregate would be processed in enclosed containment area to reduce noise levels.
Stovel said there are special monitoring requirements in the area of the pit because of the proximity to Carroll Creek.
Those requirements are to ensure there is no impact to the creek or the fish habitat, he said.
Stovel noted the site is to be progressively rehabilitated to agriculture, but the side slopes would be reforested.
Council questions began with Kirk McElwain who commented on presentations a few years ago in which Stovel had indicated, regarding another pit, that “rehabilitation to farmland was unrealistic because all the topsoil was removed.”
He asked whether this site would not have the same problem.
Stovel said that normally pits are required to be rehabilitated to agriculture.
He also suggested the context of the other pit lent itself to restoring it to an ecological area rather than agriculture.
“So it was possible, it’s just not what you wanted to do?” McElwain asked.
Stovel said it was a different situation.
“We’d asked the township to approve a different use.”
McElwain also wanted more information on a sunset clause proposed.
The agreement states the pit will be finished and rehabilitated by 2019.
Based on timeframes to get the pit up and running, it would only operate for roughly three to four years in production.
Councillor Kelly Linton asked if there are good examples of rehabilitation which are working as planned.
He understood it is sometimes easier to bring the property back to another state – other than agriculture.
