Huge quarry plan raises water

concerns
By Don Crosby
Posted 21 days ago

Southgate is supporting neighbouring Melancthon in its opposition to a huge

quarry, based on concerns that it will damage groundwater sources.

Melancthon Mayor Bill Hill told Southgate council last week that the proposal
would create the second-largest quarry in North America and go 200 feet below
the water table, which is 40 feet deeper than Niagara Falls.

"The effect on the water is our main concern," said Hill, who noted that his
municipality is the headwaters for five rivers — the Pine, Grand, Nottawasaga,
Saugeen and the Beaver — and is the recharge area for several other smaller
rivers and streams. Water from the region flows out to more than a million
people.

According to a proposal put forward by the Highland Companies, the limestone

quarry planned for Dufferin County will use 600 million litres of groundwater
every day.

In an open letter to the community, company officials said the amount of water to
be used for washing gravel, trucks and for dust suppression will be less than the
amount of water currently being lost through evaporation from the ground and
vegetation.

"There is a difference between managing water (returning it to the ground

through the recharge system) and actually using or consuming it," the company
letter says.

The Highland Companies wants to dig the quarry on 930 hectares (8,000 acres)
of farmland in Melancthon Township. That amounts to 11% of the township, Hill
said.

The Ministry of Natural Resources considers the company's application complete

and is closing the comment period on the proposal on April 26.

Hill is asking for support from neighbouring municipalities to get the MNR to
extend the comment period another 120 days to give the municipality time to
adequately respond to the proposal. He's already made the same request at
Grey Highlands council.

"You have 20 consultants working for Highland Companies who put this thing
together, 3,100 pages, and all of us normal people and the agencies that are
required to comment on this get 45 days of which four of those days are the long
weekend," Hill said during an interview after Wednesday's Southgate council
meeting.

Southgate went a step further.

In a letter approved by Southgate council to be sent to the company, township

chief administrative officer Dave Milliner lays out the municipality's opposition to
the project on three points — effects on groundwater, private wells, water capture
zones and recharge areas; westbound traffic from the proposed quarry operation;
and possible rail access to Georgian Bay through Owen Sound.

The company's website indicates rail transportation is an option, but Milliner said
the answers to questions he and Coun. Glen Irwin put to company
representatives at recent public meetings about rail transportation were unclear.

"The Highland representative's position was that rail is not something that is a
transportation option at this time," said Milliner in his letter to the company.

Milliner raised several concerns over proposed rail use, including crossing
controls, time of use, warning systems and impact on roadways.

Hill and other Melancthon officials met with Natural Resources minister Linda
Jeffrey at the recent good roads meeting in Toronto, but came away with little
comfort.

Hill told council that jeffrey told the delegation "it's too bad that this has split your
community apart. It is your job to get your community together. Get them to think
long term about rehabilitation because (the land ) will not be going back to
agriculture. Maybe you could get a nice golf course."

Melancthon council has prepared a letter of protest to Premier Dalton McGuinty

about Jeffrey's comments.

Hill invited Southgate council members to join farmers, ranchers and First
Nations representatives supported by the Council of Canadians in a 115-
kilometre walk from Toronto to Melancthon Township to show their opposition to
the project.

The group started out on foot and horseback from Queen's Park on Friday,
where about 250 people had gathered on Earth Day to discuss the project's
potentially negative impact on the regions groundwater, farming and quality of
life.

At the end of the walk participants will gather for a pot luck dinner at the owner of
a farm adjacent to the proposed mining operation, Hill said.