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Ontario township committed to protecting groundwater amid request for waste unloading
No approval granted at this time
September 1, 2022 By Ground Water Canada
Township of Amaranth, Ont. – The township is committed to protecting the groundwater resources at a nearby gravel pit site where Amarlinc Earthworks Inc. wishes to unload several cubic metres of excavated construction materials. The company, which owns the pit, is seeking approval to unload 800,000 cubic metres of material excavated from the Greater Toronto Area.
Chris Gerrits, deputy mayor of the township of Amaranth, says the municipality is aware of the challenges for this site, due to its location, and hasn’t approved the use at this time.
“We are committed to protecting the groundwater resources in the area, which is why we have vigorously defended and prosecuted illegal fill operations in the past, including a landmark remediation program nearly a decade ago,” Gerrits said. “Currently we dedicate a significant amount of time and taxpayer money chasing illegal and contaminated fill operations. I would estimate we have on average six illegal operations in the township at any given time.
“As the source protection representative on the CTC source protection committee for not only Amaranth, but also the Town of Orangeville, the Town of Mono and Dufferin County, I can confirm that part of any proposal for any type of commercial/industrial use in a wellhead protection area, including the Amarlinc proposal, will require the negotiation between Amarlinc and the risk management officials for all involved municipalities.”
This may include restrictions and limitations on specific high-risk activities in the most vulnerable areas as well as an ongoing monitoring plan with annual reporting, which is likely to include trigger values for certain parameters which will halt operations if there is the potential for negative impacts off site.
Additionally, any legal fill operation will be required to comply with Ontario Regulation 406/19 On-Site and Excess Soil.
To read the original story from the Orangeville Citizen, click here.
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