Just weeks after city council opposed a referral from the province for a proposed gravel pit on Westside Rd. Terus Construction has applied to expand their gravel pit just down the road.
“This particular development is not expected to have any environmental or socio-community impacts given its relativity small size,” the management plan reads.
The application is calling for an additional 12.3 Ha adjacent to Terus’ current site for a 20 year aggregate extraction operation of approximately 37,500 metres cubed or 75,000 tonnes of extraction per year, which would fill 300 Olympic-size swimming pools throughout its proposed lifetime.
The company was denied use of the same crown land in a 2016 application, which they applied for using their umbrella corporation’s name Interoute Construction.
According to the management plan the gravel will be required for the Trans Canada Highway upgrades that have been announced as well as by other resource users within the Revelstoke area.
READ MORE: Federal funding for Highway 1 four-laning east of Revelstoke
The area will be logged and during development the company said they would leave a five metre buffer of trees along the boundary.
Mining operations will be seasonal, the management plan says, between April and the end of November. There will be no waste rock dumps, no processing facility, no tailling facility and no washing of materials on the new site.
The application included a dust control plan.
Terus said they will:
- wet operating areas with dust suppressant
- use vegetation coverage to stabilize long-term soil stockpiles
- enforce a 30 km speed limit on site
- place the crusher at the bottom of the pit to decrease dust escapement
- maintain a 160-170 metre tree buffer along the river
- seed all areas not being used with a local forestry range seed mix
- regulate maximum drop height to two metres
- stop operations in cases of wind events and extreme heat
They included a noise control plan in the application which features:
- design sound buffers such as trees, soil stockpiles and pit walls
- maintain smooth running road surfaces
- operate equipment within specifications and capacities and use nose abatement accessories
- turn off equipment when not in use
- restrict use of sirens and maintenance
- restrict equipment maximum age to ensure efficiency and minimal noise output
READ MORE: Revelstoke City Council opposed to proposed gravel pits north of town
| A map of the area showing from the Official Community Plan which shows where the environmentally sensitive area is. |
Public feedback on the application can be submitted online until Aug. 28.
@JDoll_Revy
jocelyn.doll@revelstokereview.com
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