Sand and gravel operators have cleared a major hurdle in plans for a pit northwest of Camp Creek.
Inland Aggregates received development approval from Barrhead County Council last Tuesday.
Councillors attached a string of conditions relating to haulage and pit operating times and adequate signage.
The company must also enter an agreement with the County that may include reclamation, control of noise from pit operations and haulage, dust, roads maintenance, weeds, and storage of top soil.
Development approval is for five years and there is a renewal process. The permit may be suspended or revoked if the company fails to comply with the conditions.
Inland Aggregates, a division of Edmonton’s Lehigh Hanson, a heavy building materials company, plans to extract and crush sand and gravel from a 149.23-acre site known as Kalmbach Pit. The land is presently used for crops.
Developers intend extracting sand and gravel over the next 20-25 years, averaging 50 loads a day 10 months of the year.
A small amount of crushing will be done at the site, but most of the material will be brought to Villeneuve for further processing before going on to Edmonton.
Trucks leaving Kalmbach Pit will initially use Haul Route 2, which follows Township Road 615 west to Range Road 55A, then follows Range road 55A south to Township Road 614 B, which connects with Highway 33.
Trucks approaching the pit will follow Highway 33 to Range Road 55A, travel north along 55A until the intersection with Township Road 615. Following Township Road 615 east will take them back to the pit area.
Once Haul Route 1 is approved and upgraded, Range Road 53 will serve as a direct route to Highway 33.
When the project is complete, developers plan to turn Kalmbach Pit into a waterbody and wildlife habitat.
The County says three letters of concern and one email were received. Concerns include access to adjoining lands, environmental issues, dust and noise, haul routes, road standards and maintenance.
At last Tuesday’s County meeting, Coun. Darrell Troock said dust control was a key issue.
He said landowners had legitimate concerns about property values declining because of traffic generated by the pit operation.
Coun. Marvin Brade raised questions about haulage routes, but County Reeve Bill Lee said these should be considered at another time. Road proposals were part of later stage of the development.
Lehigh Hanson land manager Trevor Lema, who attended the meeting, said he hoped other operators would contribute to the cost of roadwork. This was only fair, he said, if they were going to benefit from upgrades.
Coun. Doug Drozd moved that development approval be given, subject to conditions. The motion was accepted.
“We are very happy with the decision for development,” Trevor Lema said after the meeting. “We are planning to work with the County and community to ensure everyone benefits.”
Lema said efforts would be made to address concerns – including road oiling to control dust and the use of berms to minimize noise at the pit.
He added initial development would probably start next spring or summer. There was a possibility, he said, of hiring local truck drivers.
“The gravel is a good quality,” he said. “We will be serving the Edmonton market.”
