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8 Opposition to Dufferin Quarry's plans to expand its Acton quarry was loud and clear at a public meeting on the planning application last Monday at the Civic Centre ­ it was standing room only in the council chambers as 15 people pleaded for council to oppose the application, which dissenters said would further harm their wells, increase noisy and dangerous traffic, lower property values and harm the environment. Dufferin's revised application to the Town and Niagara Escarpment Commission ­ reducing the extraction area to 66.5-hectacres from 99-hectacres ­ would extend the life span of the quarry by 25 years, providing at least two-million tonnes of high-quality Dolomite limestone annually to GTA building sites. Town senior planner Mark Kluge said Dufferin proposes to expand the Acton Quarry through four additional phases, which includes 50-million tonnes of aggregate. While Dufferin has purchased approximately 302-hectacres of land generally north and south of the existing quarry, the extension would take place on 66.5 hectares of land, and Quarry expansion concerns the balance of 78 per cent of the land would remain for conservation use, subject to the final rehabilitation plan. Dufferin planning consultant Brain Zeman said Dufferin reduced the proposed extension lands by 33 per cent in response to comments from the public and commenting agencies. He said the existing quarry spends $12-million annually on services, taxes and levies, resulting in $300-million spent over the life of the extension. He said the additional land purchased by Dufferin would increase separation distances between the proposed extension and surrounding residences, and it would eliminate hauling aggregate on the Third Line, south from phase seven, the southern most extraction area. Stewarttown resident Leslie Adams led off the public opposition, suggesting that Dufferin's application has changed so significantly since it was first filed in 2001, that the company should be required to "start all over from scratch." She also said the loss of wetlands with the proposal is unacceptable, and along with measuring the impact of the proposal on people, coun- THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY,OCTOBER 04, 2012 cil should look at its impact on native species of animals and plants. Tidey Avenue resident Chris Rumley urged council to say "no" to Dufferin's proposal, saying the company should not be able to expand on the Niagara Escarpment, and Dufferin should get its aggregate from its Milton quarry. She said until they have a better understanding of the impacts of mining on ground and surface water and the environment, they should not approve the expansion application. "Based on current knowledge, I have little confidence in the promises of plans made in this application. Please, don't let more mining sprawl be the legacy for future generations," Rumley said. Damage from quarry blasting was the main concern of Highway 25 resident Mike Djurinec who said he'd had substantial damage to his home which led to increased insurance rates. Fourth Line resident Steve Lister said that since 2005, 13 area wells have required major repairs because of quarry operations, and asked how they intend to deal with past problems which have HYDRO HIGH: Some of the braver visitors to Halton Hills Hydro's open house on Saturday in Acton got a bird's eye view from the bucket of a hydro cherry picker. ­ Ted Tyler photo been "ignored." Several other residents also complained that the quarry operations have impacted their wells, including Fifth Line resident Jane Hindman who said the problems have caused property values to plummet and that her house shook when the quarry was blasting. "Horrendous" blasting is also an issue for resident Jane Franklin who said her whole house shook when the quarry was blasting, breaking windows and raising concerns about the potential impact on her septic system. Doris Treleaven, president of P.O.W.E.R. (Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources) a north Halton group formed to fight plans to dump Toronto garbage in the quarry, said there should not be any mining on the Escarpment. "I'm not comfortable how the application has changed," the Fifth Line resident added, raising concerns the expansion would destroy the habitat of the Jefferson Salamander. Limehouse resident Delia Gaskill complained about the dust and damage caused by the quarry's trucks and asked how much life was left in the quarry without the expansion. She was told four years, causing her to say, "I vote for that," which drew enthusiastic claping from the crowd. Other concerns raised included the dangers of gravel truck traffic, noise and air pollution, impacts on wildlife, lack of response by Dufferin to quarry complaints and destruction of the Escarpment. Many of the same issues were raised when Halton Region held its public meeting on the application last Wednesday. The public has until October 31 to comment to the Town on Dufferin's application. Comments to the Niagara Escarpment Commission should be addressed to Nancy Mott-Allen at 905877-8363. 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