b'WATER PROTECTIONwhereinternaldrainageisultimatelydirected.ThereareWHY DO AGGREGATEperiods where the maximum daily takings are reached as a result (in spring and fall). Similarly, there are periods where noOPERATIONS NEED LARGEwater is taken, such as during winter months when the waterPERMITTED WATER TAKINGS? is frozen and, at times, during dry summer conditions.Dust suppression PTTWholdersarerestrictedbymaximumpumpingrates(L/Suppressing dust at a pit or quarry is the law. To minimizemin) as well as the hours/day and days/year that they can pump. dust(abyproductofextractingandcrushingrock)waterThesepermittedwatertakingsrepresentworst-casescenarios issprayedoninternalhaulroads,processingequipment,determinedbyaneedsassessment.Fordewatering,aggregate stockpiles and trucks exiting the site. Quarries have developedwashing and dust control, there is a standard approach to assessing best management practices for water conservation that arethe maximum water taking requirements. These calculations and designed to use only the amount of water that is needed toresultingmaximumswillbesite-specificwithintheaggregate control dust.industry. Unfortunately, the PTTW system in the province doesnt allow for variability but rather requires the maximum taking to be Aggregate washing facilitiesaccounted for on the permit.TomeetspecificationsforroadbuildingandconstructionAlthough aggregate operators on average use only 11 per cent projects,sand,gravelandcrushedstoneoftenneedtobeof their permitted volume for dewatering each year, it is essential washed to remove fine particles. The water is typically takenthat operations are permitted to remove large volumes of water. fromanonsitesourceandfedtothewashplant,whichA large rainfall event over a relatively short period of time would rinses the product with water only. No chemicals are used inrequire maximum daily permitted pumping rates to pump water thisprocess.away from the quarry/pit floor. If water is not removed quickly Washing facilities use a closed loop system design, whereenough, it would negatively impact operations and could cause the rinse water is collected in a settling pond to be clarifiedflooding and geotechnical instability. then is recirculated back to the wash plant pond to be reused. The pumping rate is controlled by the capacity of the washing equipment. Washing does not occur during the winter months in Ontario, limiting the maximum number of days when itIS THAT QUARRY GOINGcanoccur.TO DRY UP MY WELL? It is estimated that less than eight per cent of the water used at an aggregate site is not directly returned to the washThe short answer is no. Water well users located near pits and pond in the washing cycle because of evaporation and residualquarries are often concerned that extraction operations will impact soil moisture on the washed aggregate which also eventuallytheirwatersupply.Theseusersneedtoknowthattheirwater evaporates back into the ecosystem. Therefore, of the 51.5supply is protected under existing legislation. Scientific research million cubic metres of water pumped through wash plants inand decades of monitoring quarry operations have shown that the 2016, only 6.2 million cubic metres of water doesnt remain inextent of influence a quarry has on the groundwater flow regime the aquifer. This water taking represents approximately 0.05is quite limited. Aggregate producers handle water as part of their per cent of the total water taking in the province. day-to-day operations, but the majority of water handled during aggregate operations is re-circulated. Excess water is returned to the watershed. Very little water is actually consumed or lost. WATER MONITORING PROGRAMSCRUSHING, WASHING,SCREENING, Before a licence for a new quarry or gravel pit can be issued under RENTALS the Aggregate Resources Act, extensive studies are required to deter-mine the potential effects from the proposed aggregate operations on nearby wells, streams, wetlands or other sensitive environmental features. If concerns exist, then mitigation measures are developed to eliminate those concerns to the satisfaction of regulatory agencies.Groundwaterandsurfacewatermonitoringprogramsare developed to predict potential effects and evaluate actual effects 1118 Brodie Drive, Severn, OntarioL3V 0V2 of operations on local water quantity and quality. Where granted| Fax: 705-326-0305 by local water well users, this can include the monitoring of their jstewart@jgstewart.ca |www.jgstewart.ca private wells. Aggregate producers are mandated to implement comprehensive water monitoring programs, which are regulated 12 AVENUESFALL 2020'