The third time was not lucky for Lehigh Hanson Materials Ltd. in its attempt to establish a gravel pit in Bearspaw

After two days of discussion, Rocky View County (RVC) council refused an application to re-designate about 600 acres of land adjacent to Burma Rd. to a direct control district from an agricultural general district. It also refused the master site development plan for what's commonly referred to as the Scott Pit.

A strong and vocal opposition saw the Feb. 2 public hearing extended into Feb. 3. A total of 476 letters and 83 videos were submitted in opposition to the development. An additional 267 written email submissions were received through the course of the two-day public hearing.

Only 15 letters were received in favour of the development.

Bearspaw resident John Weatherill, the lead spokesperson for opponents of the proposal, says they were relieved when the votes went in their favour.

"We're very grateful to council for making what we believed was the right decision and very grateful for all of our neighbours for stepping up to make sure their voices were heard in this matter because it's incredibly important and it impacts the quality of life of so many residents in Rocky View."

The land is currently undeveloped and is adjacent to residential properties on the south and west. Land to the north is predominantly unsubdivided quarter-sections.

Representatives of Lehigh Hanson said the proposal beared no resemblance to those submitted in the past. They said they heard what the community wanted and took mitigation measures.

To address traffic and air quality concerns, the applicant said it would establish an overland conveyor system to transport aggregate material from the Scott Pit to Lehigh’s Spy Hill facility in Calgary.

It would be mined in six phases with a maximum excavation area of 60 acres at one time, with progressive reclamation, setbacks, screening berms, and reduced hours of operation. The company offered to establish a well water indemnification program for adjacent landowners should there be any impact on local groundwater.

Ongoing community engagement was also promised.

Of the 600 acres, about 395 acres would have been mined.

Still, none of this was able to sway the majority of councillors.

While it is possible for Lehigh Hanson to again pursue the development of a gravel pit on the land, Weatherill says some tangible facts will continue to stand in its way.

"Obviously, it's possible that Lehigh Hanson could bring an application back again in the future, but our view, and council's view today, was that a massive industrialization operation immediately adjacent to country residential living is not compatible, and that's not going to change in the future."

"One of the key issues that was raised through the course of the public hearing is a gravel operation at this location will have a significant risk of contamination of drinking water, and that's because the hydrogeology doesn't change, and the hydrogeology that was placed in 2010 when this was rejected was the same, and it will be the same 10 years from now."

Silica dust and noise pollution were also major concerns of opponents.

Besides 2010, RVC also turned down a gravel mine application at this location in 1995.

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