Locals concerned about an application for quarry operations between Agassiz and Harrison are meeting at Harrison’s Memorial Hall Tuesday night to discuss action to stop the project from going ahead.
A notice of work application sent to the provincial government in August, 2017 is seeking approval for a sand and gravel blasting mine on a rocky hillside 430 metres off of Hot Springs Road.
The proposed quarry – located 270 metres from the closest residence and 1.25 kilometres from the Village of Harrison entrance – would be the site of year-round blasting, crushing, sorting and mechanical screening, extracting an estimated 120,000 tonnes of mineable reserves per year.
CEO and project manager of Cedrus Environmental Consulting Corporation and Agassiz local Alanna Strangway sent a letter to the chief inspector of mines, expressing her reservations about the project proposal.
She cited potential impacts to water and air quality as well as “potential loss and fragmentation of habitat for the endangered Salish Sucker and the Pacific Tree Frog.”
“At this time both species are thriving in the floodplain/wetland directly adjacent to this property,” she wrote.
A number of concerned residents are expected to attend Tuesday night’s meeting at Harrison Memorial Hall.
Stay tuned for updates.