Aggregates are rock products like sand and gravel. Aggregates are non-renewable, natural resources that are crucial to the construction of modern infrastructure such as roads, bridges, homes and buildings.
The site has two crushing plants; thus, two extraction phases are mined concurrently to optimize productivity at the site. Crushing in the southern reach is completed in three extraction phases, which is driven by leased return date. Progressive reclamation of the pit is expected to occur in stages over the pit lifespan, that is estimated to be ~ 15 years.
Over this time, stages of the pit will be gradually returned to the landowner. Cochrane Aggregates will continue to reclaim the pit to pasture, in alignment with the Reclamation Plan on file with the Province of Alberta and the Town of Cochrane. However, future updates to the Reclamation Plan will amend the final end land use to account for long term plans to develop this area for residential housing as per municipal development plans. Plans to develop the pit to a residential neighbourhood have been submitted to the Town of Cochrane and are currently under review for approval.
Daily and weekly site inspections are conducted to ensure existing controls are in good working order.
Good housekeeping practices like the following form an integral part of our daily inspections of mobile equipment, crushing and screening plants:
Mitigation measures to control dust will include the watering of all internal haul roads and the stockpile/processing area as required. All loads of aggregate will be properly enclosed to minimize dust. Long‐term stockpiles of reclamation material are or will be seeded to reduce the overall disturbance at any one time.
Noise levels during operations are mitigated by conducting regular maintenance on all equipment to ensure that it is working properly, all trucks hauling from the pit will be in good working order; back‐up alarm systems used by equipment on site will be at the minimum decibel levels, all trucks hauling aggregate will be required to adhere to posted speed limits on all haul roads
Site manages all prohibited noxious and noxious weeds. Cleaning of equipment before arriving on site to prevent the introduction of weeds; topsoil and overburden stockpiles seeded to provide erosion control and prevent emergence of weeds; identified weeds controlled immediately either through the use of herbicide or by mowing as recommended by a qualified individual; reclaimed areas quickly revegetated to prevent non‐native or invasive plant invasion.
All industrial waste generated at the is properly stored and regularly hauled to an approved municipal or Class II landfill for proper disposal.
Fuel is situated in designated areas within the aggregate stockpile and processing areas. Double walled above ground fuel storage tanks are used and placed in secondary containment system. Any spillage of fuel within the secondary spill containment system is cleaned up immediately and the contaminated materials are hauled to a Class II landfill for secure disposal.
Heidelberg intends to design an operation that is environmentally responsible, meets or exceeds all relevant regulatory requirements and incorporates mitigative solutions where possible based on feedback from the community.
Heidelberg is committed to open and ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and the public to ensure that all opportunities and constraints are addressed and incorporated into project design. This commitment to stakeholder consultation will be carried through the planning and regulatory approvals process into the operations phase of the project.
We acknowledge and appreciate the time invested by the community on this project and other aggregate initiatives to date. We will continue to refer to past engagement findings to guide our next steps. Your input has been invaluable.
