Calgary's building boom demands heaps of gravel. A battle is brewing about where to get it

In early December, dozens of concerned citizens spoke out at a Rocky View County council hearing, both in person and through pre-recorded videos — over an hour's worth. 

The outcry was in response to the expansion of a gravel pit west of Cochrane along the north side of the Bow River, on land that hosts herds of migrating elk each year and is flanked by the bucolic Beaupré and Grande Valley creeks.

Burnco, the company that operates the existing mine, had requested council grant a land-use redesignation to develop an additional 305 acres (123 hectares), spanning three quarter-sections. 

But Rocky View council ended up voting 4-3 in favour of putting the request on hold until a decision is made on a new plan that would bind gravel companies to a series of countywide enforcements. 

The hearing is the latest in a spate of appeals at both the municipal and provincial level for gravel mine projects in Rocky View, a rural municipality that surrounds the northern half of Calgary.

Reeve Crystal Kissel notes the gravel industry has seen a boom in the region over the past decade, prompting council to bring about its new aggregate resource plan (ARP). 

"We all know how much the city's grown since that time, a quarter of a million people. And with all that comes more housing needed.… And you need gravel, if you're going to build anything," she said. 

"Do we see the pressure coming off? Not at this time." 

Janet Ballantyne, a member of the advocacy group Gravel Watch, said Rocky View County is particularly well-suited for gravel developments — not only does it have a high concentration of quality gravel deposits, but it's also close to Calgary.

She added, however, that the nature of pit operations differs across the county, making developments west of Calgary more controversial among local residents than those in the east. 

"In the west, the gravel resources tend to be very deep and frequently close to where people live, or to environmentally sensitive areas," said Ballantyne. 

"Whereas in the east, the gravel resources are much more shallow and are typically located in areas where there are very, very few people and in the midst of farm fields, basically, so the environmental sensitivity is not the same either." 

Concerns west of Cochrane

Increased traffic from gravel trucks, dust from excavation, noise pollution and concerns about water use and contamination are common complaints for those who live near aggregate operations, said Ballantyne. 

Indeed, they were all issues brought up at the Burnco hearing for its West Cochrane pit. 

Ann McKendrick McNabb is an adjacent landowner whose family has ranched in the area surrounding Burnco's pit since the 1870s. Her land is directly adjacent to Burnco's current pit and its potential expansion lands. 

Since the initial pit operations began in 2016, one wetland on her property has dried up, and she has detected hydrocarbons in one of her wells, McNabb told the hearing.

Because Burnco intends to operate a dry pit gravel operation, it wants to dewater the entirety of its expansion lands, something McNabb is worried could have long-term impacts on surrounding springs and wetlands. 

"We don't think the answers are there," she said. 

Jon Fennell, a hydrogeologist and geochemist by training, also spoke at the hearing.

In reviewing Burnco's water monitoring data (a report which he said was provided to him by McNabb) Fennell found elevated concentrations of chloride, nitrate, arsenic, lead and uranium in groundwater samples downgradient from the company's existing pit, compared to samples taken from upgradient sources. 

"Some of [the concentrations] are above Alberta health standards and Alberta Tier 1 remediation guidelines. It's definitely something concerning." 

At the hearing, a representative for Burnco, Travis Coates, said the presence of hydrocarbons in McNabb's well was investigated by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA) and that no connection to Burnco was found.

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Burnco said the groundwater changes observed in McNabb's well "are a sign that its monitoring program is working as intended." 

"Expert review determined that similar changes were not observed in wells closer to the gravel pit, and no evidence supports a direct link between the changes and our operations," read the statement. 

Coates said the expansion of the pit is necessary for the company's succession planning, with at least one of its major mines, located in Springbank, set to close in the next several years. 

But Fennell and others who spoke at the hearing said the location of the expansion is too environmentally sensitive. They'd like to see independent assessments done before council potentially permits the expansion of Burnco's pit.

Ballantyne agrees. 

"It has been a Wild West," she said, describing the growth of aggregate operations in Rocky View County. 

"Yes, gravel is something that we all need, but it can be extracted in a responsible manner. And right now, it's being extracted under whichever terms the gravel companies prefer." 

In its statement, Burnco said the company understands and respects residents' environmental concerns. 

"We firmly believe that this site can continue to be operated in an environmentally responsible manner," reads the statement. 

"Any development comes with some degree of environmental impact, and gravel pits are no exception.… Residents can take confidence in our robust planning, monitoring and reporting programs designed to ensure oversight and transparency." 

County can only do so much, says reeve

In Alberta, aggregates or gravel pits are not regulated by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, as is the oil and gas industry, but by Alberta Environment.

In addition to a code of practice for pits, operations are also governed by the Water Act and Wildlife Act, and bound by regulations relating to reclamation and public land use. 

But the ministry's webpage notes it's in the midst of making changes to how it oversees gravel pits by "conducting a review of its surface-material extraction program and policies," to ensure "programs reflect improvements in scientific knowledge."

While Rocky View council put Burnco's expansion on hold for now, the company has already been granted Water Act approval by the environment ministry. 

The Alberta Environmental Appeals Board (AEAB) said it received 13 notices of appeal after the Water Act approval for the site. The board said it is now in mediation with those appellants (one of whom is McNabb). 

The appeal board is also dealing with another proposed gravel operation in the area. The Mountain Ash Limited Partnership is next door to Big Hill Springs Provincial Park, northeast of Cochrane. Having failed a mediation process with appellants, a hearing for that project has been scheduled for the new year.

Although Reeve Kissel is hopeful the aggregate resource plan (ARP) will set out some new rules to ensure aggregate development in the county is done in a responsible manner, she said the municipality can only do so much. 

"[The province] looks after gravel pits, we only get to govern things like setbacks and hours of operation and what's going to happen with the road and do we need, you know, water testing.… There's things that we can do, but the real jurisdiction is under the environment department." 

She said the gravel legislation has been a long time coming — it was first introduced as a concept in 2015 — and this current council has finally developed the plan to a place where it can move forward. 

The ARP is in its second phase and is expected to be completed by late 2025.