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Teedon Pit- Waverley

Residents are fighting to protect what tests have shown is some of the more pure water in the world. The threat? Aggregate mining.

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What's Happening?

On January 14, 2021, a permit to take water (PTTW) was granted allowing CRH Canada, and more specifically its subsidiary, Dufferin Aggregates, to take nearly 1.5 million litres of water per day to wash aggregate extracted from their mining operation.

On January 27th Tiny Township Council unanimously voted to appeal the PTTW to the Environmental Review Tribunal.

There has been a long fight to protect what some tests have shown to be some of the most pure water anywhere in the world. The primary threat to this water is aggregate mining.

An application to expand the pit was submitted in 2012. You can see the area proposed for expansion, outlined in yellow, on the image below.

A map of the proposed expansion of the Teedon Pit aggregate operation near Waverley, Ontario. Map shows County Greenlands, as well as evaluated and unevaluated wetlands. Credit: Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.
A map of the proposed expansion of the Teedon Pit aggregate operation near Waverley, Ontario. Map shows County Greenlands, as well as evaluated and unevaluated wetlands. Credit: Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition.

Quick Facts

1.3 Million Litres Taken Per Day

Purest Water in
the World

Up To 40 Trucks
Per Hour

Actions You Can Take

Why is it a concern?

Water Contamination

As gravel from aggregate mining is washed the runoff debris is meant to be captured. Residents in the area, however, have found an increasing amount of debris, or silt, in their water, and that the amount of this debris as correlated with the increased activity at the pit.
 
The quarry is located above the Alliston Aquifer and many residents in the area rely on groundwater wells as their primary source of water.
 
Further, water in the area that has been tested has been shown to be some of the most pure water in the world, with less trace contaminants than samples taken from ice cores in the remote arctic. The water in these ice core samples, by the way, pre-date human industrial activity.
 
It is thought that the unique geological features of the area, namely the Simcoe Uplands and Oro Moraine, with its glacial deposits, is key to the water’s purity. A quarry is effectively punching a hole in this filtration.

Traffic

Expansion of the quarry would cause an increase in traffic to and from the mine, with an estimated 40 trucks an hour passing through the area. This is nearly one large truck per minute.

Restoration

The aggregate industry has a terrible record of rehabilitation.

This is something they are required by law to do, but, for the most part, they don’t, and they get away with it.

In their 2006/2007 report, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario noted that 100 out of 121 operations surveyed had not done the rehabilitation activities required under the Aggregate Resources Act.

Arial view of dirt dug up in a mining operation. Credit Ivan Bandura.
Arial view of dirt dug up in a mining operation. Credit Ivan Bandura.

How Can You Get Involved?

  1. Like, follow, and support Friends of the Waverley Uplands on Facebook.
  2. Send a message to elected representatives via the Wellington Water Watchers.
  3. Support residents in their fight by donating. Visit this page to learn how, and to find more ways to get involved.
  4. Finally, use the form below to receive alerts for issues happening in Tiny Township, including this one.

Sign Up to Receive Alerts for Tiny Township

Links to Further Reading

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