Residents to voice concerns over proposed mega quarry at community meeting

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Some Melancthon residents are hoping to put a stop to a proposed mega quarry. 

Concerned members of the community will be hosting a community town hall meeting on Sunday (March 2) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Horning's Mills Community Hall, located at 14 Mill Street in Melancthon. 

“We are asking the DeGasperis family to withdraw this proposal. It would be the first below the water table blast quarry in Dufferin County. It will devastate a healthy rural community for no reason but developer profit,” said Larry Taman, a resident of Melancthon.

Strada Aggregates (Strada) has been operating an existing 360-acre above-water sand and gravel pit in the area of 4th Line and County Rd. 17 in the Township of Melancthon since 2004. 

Strada had initiated undertaking the field work and technical studies required to determine the feasibility of developing a quarry that would extract and process consolidated dolostone bedrock below the water table within the same footprint of the existing pit.

According to Strada Aggregates, the proposed quarry is being designed to ship 2,000,000 tonnes per year from the site and will continue to use the existing entrance/exits and existing haul route.

“The risk and damage will be immense and irreversible – toxic silicates in our air, disruption of our water supply, noise and fly-rock from explosions, devastation to the natural environment and upwards of 125,000 heavy truck journeys every year on the highways to and from the Toronto area. More mega quarries will follow,” said Taman. 

The community meeting is open to the public. Members of Melancthon Town Council along with neighbouring community organizations opposing the gravel expansion are expected to be in attendance for the meeting.