JIGS HOLLOW GRAVEL PIT - THE BATTLE CONTINUES

It's unlikely that Preston Sand & Gravel ever felt that this pit outside Winterbourne was going to be a walk in the park. There was another Public Information Session on October 19 in St. Jacobs and residents were there demanding answers. According to the article in the Woolwich Observer the answers they did receive were not adequate. Yours truly was only able to attend right near the beginning at 4 pm. and missed the much larger turnout later on. The title of the Observer article was "Concerted opposition effort meets plan to go below water to mine Jigs Hollow gravel". I would describe it as a well written, knowledgable piece of journalism well within the usual high standards of the Observer's publications.

Various local residents who spoke and asked questions included Paul Marrow, Rick Stroobosscher and Tony Dowling of West Montrose. They are not particularily pleased with the Application for a License Amendment and for good reason. While gravel pits are inherently bad for both the environment and nearby residents, below water table gravel pits are even more harmful. They among other things provide a direct route for both natural and manmade contaminants to penetrate the aquitards protecting subsurface aquifers. They also expose shallow aquifers to direct natural contaminants when they remove soil and expose the shallow water table permanently to surface pollutants such as geese, dead animals and surface runoff of pesticides and fertilizers.

For a Region so hugely dependent upon groundwater any below water table gravel pit is an abomination but for one that is also directly beside the Grand River it is a double environmental blow. The sand and gravel in the shallow aquifer normally filters out contaminants before they discharge along with the groundwater into the Grand River. The covering soil, sand and gravel etc. also insulate the water from higher surface temperatures. This is very important for many aquatic organisms and other life including fish who need cooler temperatures in the heat of the summer. The aggregate effect of all our already existing gravel pits along the Grand River has effectively reduced the numbers of fish species in the Grand. I sincerely hope the Region of Waterloo steps into this battle on behalf of both the residents and on behalf of the natural environment.