Application made to reopen gravel pit accessed off Dempsey

Derek Kilbourn

Sounder News

An application has been opened by Gabriola Gravel and Excavating to reopen a gravel pit located on a piece of property west of the Gabriola Golf Course.

The legal address of the property is 795 South Road. The access to the property being used is at the end of Dempsey Road, which connects from Harrison Way to the rest of Gabriola Island.

Bob Rooks, owner of Gabriola Gravel and Excavating, says this is a new application for an expired gravel permit that was originally owned by Clyde Coats, used during the construction of Folklife Village and other projects on the island. The application shows this area being in operation from 1985 to 1997.

Rooks said the intent is to provide pit run, sand, and small rocks for fill, and for local sale only. He expects three to four trucks a day to be going into the site. Rooks added that being able to use this site means having a local source, rather than trucking materials over from Vancouver Island.

Doing this means fewer trucks on the ferries, using less fuel, which is better for the environment.

According to the application, there are potentially 42,000 tonnes of proposed removable resources, with the applicant estimating approximately 2,000 tonnes per year.

The application is for a period from July 15, 2021 to July 15, 2031. Excavation and trucking operations will be between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Material will be excavated and left in place to be loaded in trucks. Excavation will be primarily by a bucket to pull loose sandstone, with some use of a hydraulic rock breaker attachment. No blasting or drilling is proposed.

According to the application, there are no known protected archeological sites which could be affected by the proposed project.

An application request has been sent by the applicant to Snuneymuxw First Nation, dated May 25, 2021 with site plans of the parcel – the review is in progress.

A soil conservation plan is included with the application, showing that top soil will be stockpiled during removal of the gravel and fill; to be seeded with grass to prevent erosion while stockpiled.

The excavated area is proposed to be 2.11 hectares (5.21 acres) in size.

A half hectare will be used for stockpiling of top soil.

1,700 cubic meters of timber will be cut during the life of the application.

Reclamation of the site will include the currently unreclaimed portion of the previous gravel pit, for a total of 3.22 hectares reclaimed.

A full copy of the application for this permit is available for view by the public at the Gabriola Public Library, during Library Hours. Ask for the file at the front counter.

Staff with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation were asked about potential traffic and dust on Dempsey Road.

They provided the following information:

While traffic outside the mine site falls outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry, the statutory decision-maker will be able to consider permit conditions to mitigate dust and traffic concerns.

This could include (for example) conditions that:

– Place restrictions on entry points and exit points to and from the mine site.

– Require a fugitive dust management plan.

– Require the covering of loads leaving the mine site.

– Require the use of wheel washers on traffic leaving the site.

The application package includes a fugitive dust management plan, with several mitigations to control dust.