THE PLANS FOR REOPENING & EXPANSION OF BROWN ROAD PIT BY OUR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
MUST STOP NOW!
240th Street & 68th Avenue-Langley
· The proposed gravel mine sits over the most sensitive & fragile areas of the over-pumped Hopington aquifer. The water table of our aquifer is dropping at an alarming one foot per year.
· Approximately one-third (1/3) of the land was mined previous to 1963 & then permanently closed. Residential development began in the early 1970's with private wells drilled and homes being built on various acreages. We have 50 to 60 residences in the immediate area today wholly dependent on our aquifer for water as are thousands of other local residents.
· The Provincial government plans to expand beyond the abandoned pit and also develop an adjacent pasture approximately 750' x 450’, digging 50' to 100' down for their estimated 1,000,000 + cubic metres of gravel. If this plan proceeds, it will result in the largest gravel pit that Langley has ever witnessed and right in our own backyards.
· We have no other options for drinking water as the township of Langley has assured us that there are no plans of bringing city/municipal water to this area for at least 10 to 15 years.
· It is common knowledge that open pit mining for gravel near private drilled wells will inevitably affect the quality and quantity of drinking water.
· Gravel pits leave a long-lasting negative impact on the environment.
· Case studies have proven that open pit mining for gravel (ground vibrations) & later pit filing results in unacceptably high increased levels of arsenic & phosphorous in drinking water & fish bearing habitat. (Coghlan Creek & Salmon River run along three perimeters of Brown Road Pit).
· There are other sources of gravel to facilitate the provincial governments’ needs. Companies like Heidelberg and Lehigh under the umbrella of Lafarge have many sources of gravel throughout the Fraser Valley East. There is also Valley Gravel, Mainland Gravel & Rempel Bros.
· Gravel can be barged down the Fraser River for a fraction (1/20) of the cost of trucking. The Provincial government wants to further develop Brown Road Pit due to its proximity to the Gateway Project.
· The Provincial Government’s only goal: Save money today at the expense of our incredibly valuable and fragile Hopington aquifer, our drinking water, our property values and our community.
We are concerned & care about our drinking water.
We ask for your support to protect our drinking water
How convenient for Minister Falcon to mention that the water study results will be available - after the election. Who is kidding who?
ReplyDeleteIs protection of the environment not one of the premiere's priorities for the Liberal party. What happened?
We can rally together and start a class action lawsuit against the province for threatening Langley's water supply. if anyone is interested this is the only way that our AUTOCRATIC government will listen to the citizens of B.C. please stand up to the Liberals and collectively we can shut this proposal down.
ReplyDeleteI Nfeel that today in B.C. under the AUTOCRATIC leadership of Gordon Campbell our citizens, environment, women and children, disabled, mentally ill people, all are being ignored by this Liberal government. There is only one thing we can do, those who are able to join together and write to the federal government that the aquifer which supplies Langley with its drinking water for over 100 years is under threat by industry, yes industry takes precedence over peoples right to clean drinking water. Shamr on you GORDON CAMPBELL for wanting to develop this gravel pit. I call on everyone to write to the federal government and in the meantime contact Donna Passmore on facebook, to join together and fight this undemocratic machine called the LIBERALS.
ReplyDeleteSincerely yours: John Prentice, environmentalists. born in vancouver, B.C.