Port Colborne Quarries (PCQ)…

Port Colborne Quarries (PCQ) has enjoyed a Permit To Take Water (PTTW) for decades. The first pit was mined in the mid 1950's, and the pit extended into the aquifer by the early 1960's. Since that time, the mining has extended a distance along the Onandaga escarpment over 2 kilometers, without an assessment of the cumulative impacts of the dewatering, and the lowering of the water table in the surrounding area. As well as creating a physical trench in the ground and rock , the quarries now create a ground water interceptor trench in the aquifer.

PCQ has recently applied under the Aggregate Resources Act for an expansion of their existing aggregate operations by extending the mining of additional lands eastward under ERO posting 019-3450. The proposal is for a quarry into the water table, extending the ground water interceptor trench by another 1 kilometer, and the application indicates the need to significantly increase the volume of water taking.

The ARA expansion proposal suggests abandoning the quarrying operations in the 2 most westerly pits (Pit 1 and Pit 2) in the future with no defined date. The abandonment of Pit 1 and Pit 2 can be accomplished well within a 5 year time period, and the current application for PTTW for Sump 1, 2 and 3 should be limited to this achievable time frame.

The current PTTW application for Sump 4 seeks renewal of permission to pump to the Wignell Drain. The Wignell Drain is a municipal drain under the Ontario Drainage Act, and the drain is not intended to be an outlet for pumped drainage from an impervious site. A quarry has a runoff factor of close to 1.0 (100%), whereas the farmland uses of the land previous to quarrying would have a runoff factor of approximately 0.2 (20%). The added volume has not been recognized in the financial contribution assessment under the Drainage Act.

In summary:
- A cumulative impact assessment must be conducted to assess the impact of dewatering the Onandaga aquifer for a distance of over 2 kilometers.
- The PTTW for Sump 1, 2 and 3 should not exceed 5 years, with a clear indication it WILL NOT be renewed.
- The permit for Sump 4, and any future expansion of the quarry, should limit the discharge to the Wignell Drain to not exceed the runoff from the equivalent area of agricultural lands.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide these comments.