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Sand and Gravel Pits�Alberta Regulations�

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Dennis Twerdoff, P.Geol. P.Ag.

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TWERDOFF & ASSOCIATES INC.

ENVIRONMENT GEOSCIENCE

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Who am I?

  • Environmental Consultant
    • Specializing in Aggregate Resources since 1996
      • Regulatory applications with Government of Alberta:
        • EPEA - Code of Practice for Pits, CORPS, Reclamation Certificates
        • Water Act – Wet Pit Excavations, Diversions, End Pit Lakes, Industrial Use
        • Development Permits
  • University of Alberta
      • B.Sc. Geology and Physics
      • M.Sc. Water and Land Resources
      • Professional member of APEGA and AIA

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Sand and Gravel

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  • Non-Renewable Natural Resource
      • Important resource for community development
      • Roads, concrete, infrastructure, buildings, etc.

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  • Aggregate does not occur everywhere
      • Occurs where mother nature has laid it down
      • Scarce in many parts of province

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  • Location is one of largest economic factors
      • Cost to transport approx. $0.20/tonne/km
      • Cost directly passed down to cost of municipal and provincial infrastructure, and developers

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Regulations

  • History
    • No regulations prior to 1978

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    • 1982 - Land Surface Conservation and Reclamation Act
      • Conserve soil, Reclaim lands

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    • 1994 – Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
      • Full cost reclamation

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    • 2004 - Approvals to Code of Practice

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Current Regulations

  • Private Land
    • Code of Practice for Pits
    • Pits greater than 5 ha (Class 1)
      • Includes everything associated with pit

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  • Public Land
    • Surface Materials Lease
    • Conservation Operation Reclamation Plan or CORP (formerly Conservation and Reclamation Business Plans or CRBP)

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Code of Practice for Pits (COP)

    • Schedule 1
      • Location
      • Operator
      • Landowner
    • Schedule 2
      • Activities Plan
    • Schedule 3
      • Security Deposit
    • Schedule 4
      • 5 Year Report

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Schedule 2 – Activities Plan

  • Basic Site Characteristics
    • Current size, total size
    • Topsoil, Subsoil, Overburden, Aggregate
    • Type of soil, soil depth soil texture
  • Operating Practices
    • Soil salvage
      • Prevent soil loss
      • Strip ahead of pit faces
    • Erosion control
      • Off site erosion, Soil stockpiles

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Operating Practices cont…

    • Dust control
      • Usually addressed by municipality

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    • Inactive pit
      • Signage/fencing/gate
      • Pit face slope stability
      • Vegetated stockpiles
      • Weeds
      • Monitoring schedule

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Pit Activities

    • Crushing and screening
    • Aggregate washing
    • Wet pit excavations
    • Asphalt plant
    • Truck box spraying
    • Mixing salt and aggregate
    • Fuel Storage
    • Use of alternative reclamation material

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Ground Water

  • Depth to ground water
    • Encountered during testing
  • Wet pit excavations
    • Mine below elevation of water table
  • Method
    • Pit to pit dewater, bail, divert water off site

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  • Approval
    • Wet Pit Excavations
    • End Pit Lake (South Saskatchewan Basin Closed)
      • Require transfer of water allocation
    • Wetland
    • Flood plain
  • Licence
    • Use water
    • Aggregate washing, dust control

Water Act

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Water Act Cont…

  • Ground water study
    • Field verified survey
      • Wells within 1.6 km
    • Hydrology
      • Catchment Area
    • Water balance calculations
      • Net gains/losses
    • Impacts to adjacent users
    • Impacts to water bodies or water management
    • Flood Plain Risk Assessment

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Alberta Wetland Policy

    • Merged Wetland Inventory
      • Unreliable
    • Wetland Assessment
      • Qualified Biologist to determine size and value
        • Submit Alberta Wetland Assessment and Impact Report
    • Compensation
      • Based on relative wetland value
      • $18,000-$20,000/ha Replacement Ratio
      • A=8xRR, B=4xRR, C=2xRR, D=1xRR
    • Reclamation
      • Long term monitoring

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Buffers

    • Property Boundaries, well sites, pipelines
      • Typically 3 m
      • Common boundaries often daylighted

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    • Surface water
      • Buffer size depends on type of water body
      • Along eroding, non-eroding bank or straight stretch
      • Wetlands

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Historical Resources Act

  • Both private and public land
  • Listing of Historical Resources
    • Rating 1 to 5
    • Archaeological, cultural, geological, historic period, natural, palaeontological
  • OPAC
    • Submit application for Historical Resource Clearance
    • Historical Resource Impact Assessment
      • Permitted assessor

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Public Land CORP

  • Similar to COP but more detail
    • Land use zoning
    • Wildlife
    • Forestry
    • Timing restrictions
    • First Nations Consultation
    • Fire Smart

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Reclamation

    • Return to equivalent land use capability
      • Most pits reclaimed back to agriculture
    • Replace soils evenly
      • Replacement depth should be the same as what was stripped
    • Reclaimed pit slopes
      • Based on Canadian Land Inventory, Soil Capability for Agriculture
      • Class 1 best, Class 7 worst

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Reclamation Certificate

    • Interim guide
      • Form with general info
    • Details site assessment by qualified person
      • 40 x 40 m grid
    • Soils – compared to off site
      • Soil depth, color, texture, structure, admixing, stoniness, compaction
    • Vegetation – compared to off site
      • Type, live, litter, bare ground
      • Heath and vigor
    • Inquiry by Inspector

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Development Plan

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Reclamation Plan

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Cross Sections

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Twerdoff & Associates Inc.

Questions