Coalition concerned quarry will threaten local wells

News

Posted By Don Crosby

Posted 1 month ago

A coalition concerned that a proposed quarry in the former Osprey Township would threatens several nearby private wells wants Grey Highlands council to protect the water source at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing.

In a presentation to council Friday John Cowan, who lives in Clearview Township just across the county line from the proposed MAQ quarry, said a large wetland in the midst of the 100-hectare proposed quarry property will be drained.

"It's a significant wetland that goes right into the pit property and they are talking about going 60 feet below the wetland. This wetland isn't 60 feet deep. It will just drain that water right into an eventual lake," said Cowan, who noted that he has a shallow well that relies on surface water.

"It's my only source of water," he said.

Cowan said he's one of more than 50 homeowners, including a couple of dozen in the nearby Osprey Heights subdivision, who rely on the wetland for their drinking water.

Harvey Jones, head of Grey Matters, a recently formed umbrella group of concerned local citizens, urged Grey Highlands council to take a position on the proposed MAQ quarry.

"As a minimum we believe that council should strongly support the recommendations of Grey Sauble Conservation Authority given in Mr. Sorensen's letter of Jan. 29, 2010 . . . which proposed larger setbacks and no activity below the water table," said Jones.

"We would prefer to rely upon the independent expertise and the authority of the Grey Sauble Conservation rather than consultants hired by others who could give biased opinions," he added.

See QUARRY, page A3

QUARRY

From page 1

Grey Matters is a new alliance of grassroots citizens groups, including Blue Mountain Watershed Trust, the Clearview Citizens Coalition and the Grey Association for Better Planning, with a combined membership of 500. 

MAQ Aggregates Inc.is seeking a license to take one million tonnes of aggregate a year for 30 years at Part Lot 20 and 22 Conc. A in the former Osprey Township. The site is just a few hundred metres from a proposed Walker Aggregates pit in Simcoe County.

The company has promised to restrict its extractive operation to about 40 hectares of the property.

Earlier this year, in a bid to speed up the company's planning applications before Grey County and Grey Highlands, MAQ took the preemptive step of involving the OMB after Grey County and Grey Highlands failed to make decisions on MAQ's application for an amendment to the county and municipal official plans and a rezoning application by Grey Highlands within the prescribed 120 days.

Referring to the 2001 AEMOT groundwater management study, Cowan said Grey Highlands has an obligation to protect the wetland, which provides water to private wells in the area near the proposed MAQ pit operation.

The landmark groundwater management study encompasses approximately 1,850 square kilometres in the eastern half of Grey County and northeast fringe of Dufferin County. The townships of Artemesia, Euphrasia, Melancthon, Osprey and the town of The Blue Mountains (referred to as AEMOT) and contains the headwaters of several Ontario major rivers systems including the Grand, the Nottawasaga, the Saugeen and the Beaver.  

Cowan said the AEMOT study recommends that the wetlands within the study area be protected from development and discourages aggregate development in the area.

On Tuesday Grey County council will vote on a recommendation by the county planning and community development committee that supports MAQ's request for an amendment to the Grey County official plan subject to the three conditions:

• That MAQ Aggregates satisfy concerns identified by the Ministry of the Environment.

• That the extraction zone remain outside of the hazard land areas.

• That MAQ complete a haul route agreement with the counties of Grey and Simcoe describing the  required improvements and maintenance to Grey Rd. 31, Grey Rd. 124 and Simcoe Rd 95.

The committee is also recommending that these decisions be relayed to any future OMB hearing and could form the basis for minutes of settlement.

Grey Highlands Mayor Brian Mullin said his council is seeking legal advice as it prepares the municipality's position at the future OMB hearing.

Since MAQ referred its request for a decision to the OMB, two prehearings have been held in Markdale. The latest was on July 20.

A third pre-hearing is set for this fall to give all parties and participants with standing the opportunity to narrow the list of issues to be heard at an OMB appeal. No date has been set for a hearing.