The Mountain View County municipal planning commission has approved a permit for the expansion of an existing gravel pit in the Elkton-Rugby rural community in Division 2. The approval came by way of motion at the commission’s recent regularly scheduled meeting.
The permit is for a proposed aggregate extraction/processing expansion of 26.69 acres for a maximum gravel pit size of 39.53 acres and an accessory building.
The subject property is located northeast of the intersection of Rge. Rd. 50 and Twp. Rd. 304.
In May county council approved re-designation of 25.99 acres from agriculture district to aggregate extraction/processing.
“The application states that the estimated volumes of material to be removed from this site are 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes of aggregate per year for approximately 20 years,” administration said in a briefing note to the commission. “The gravel pit will remain a dry pit only. Buffer zones mentioned within the applicant’s submitted application are in accordance with Alberta Environment’s Code of Practice for Pits. A portable batch plant is not included with this application.”
The proposed haul route from the pit entrance is 4.2 kilometres east on Twp. 304 to Highway 22, members heard.
“All gravel pit traffic will be east on Twp. 304 and no traffic will head west from the gravel pit. The applicant/operator has previously entered into a road use agreement with the county and provided the required securities. This agreement is associated with the operating regulations and therefore will need to be updated.”
A reclamation certificate will be required from Alberta Environment once the pit’s resources have been exhausted to ensure the reclamation has been completed as per Alberta Environment approval, members heard.
As part of the development permit process, adjacent landowners located within one mile of the pit were notified of the application.
“No response was received from adjacent landowners,” administration said. “To address screening to the nearest dwelling on SE 30-30-4-5, the applicant has indicated an area on the site sketch that will remain undisturbed as a natural, treed buffer.”
The approval comes with a number of conditions, including the following:
• The applicant, landowner and/or operator shall provide dust control within the operation of the gravel pit to ensure there are no adverse impacts to adjacent landowners and residences.
• The applicant, landowner and/or operator shall reduce or restrict the use of engine retarder brakes and reduce the amount of heavy gearing within the pit operating area.
• All trucks leaving the pit shall be free of materials outside of the haul box of the vehicle.
• Portable batch plants are not permitted within SW 30-304-5 with this development permit. Should a portable batch plant be required, a development permit shall be obtained from Mountain View County. Wet scrubber systems shall not be allowed through the permitting process for portable batch plants.
The commission is the county’s approving authority and is comprised of appointed public members and county councillors.
