Alberta's new regulations for 'responsible' sand and gravel operations leave residents concerned

The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.

Those changes stem from 15 recommendations put forward by the province's Sand and Gravel Task Force, which was established earlier this year. They focus primarily on streamlining regulatory processes and legislation.

"Development and operation of sand and gravel pits must be done in a responsible way that minimizes adverse impacts on the environment, including wildlife habitats, wetlands, water bodies, and overall ecosystems," reads the task force's final report.

But a group of Rocky View County residents concerned about sand and gravel operations in their area say the new regulations aren't addressing the quality of life issues they've been flagging for years.

Janet Ballantyne with Rocky View Gravel Watch says the new regulations do more to benefit those in the gravel business than to offer supports to residents or to mitigate environmental impact.

"There's just a real concern that the industry's desire to have its gravel pits as close to market as possible means that the impact on Rocky View residents gets pushed to the side," she said.

The group is made up of hundreds of residents negatively impacted by aggregate activity in Rocky View County, which, Ballantyne said, "has gravel virtually everywhere, and it is very close to the Calgary market."

There are more than 1,000 registrations for sand and gravel pits on private land in Alberta.

Some Rocky View County residents say the amount of aggregate activity happening there exposes them to excessive noise and traffic.

Beyond those inconveniences, Ballantyne expressed concern with the health effects of being exposed to so much dust from gravel pits. Crystalline silica, associated with sand and gravel processing, is a known carcinogen.

Rocky View County's current aggregate approval process requires applicants to submit impact assessments and monitoring/management plans for noise, traffic safety and air quality.

Provincial involvement in gravel pit regulations

By implementing the task force's recommendations, the province's goal is to expedite the project approval process in light of complaints from landowners and companies around the existing regulatory processes being too slow and confusing.

Provincial Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said in a statement that these new regulations "will help get rid of unnecessary government bureaucracy, create more opportunities in the sand and gravel sector and protect our strong environmental safeguards.”

“Sand and gravel help build the roads we drive on, the homes we live in and the infrastructure that supports our province. It also helps create jobs and grow our economy," she said.

Pits under five hectares don't need to be approved by the provincial government if they're on private land, but still need to follow municipal regulations.

Still, Ballantyne is concerned the language in the task force's report could lead to the province assuming more authority when it comes to gravel pit development on private land — and local concerns might not get as much consideration as a result.

A Rocky View County spokesperson said in a statement that the municipality is still reviewing the recommendations.

"The county is actively working to balance economic development in the aggregate sector with environmental protection and quality of life for our residents," the statement reads.

"We look forward to engaging with the provincial government as implementation details are clarified, and we welcome the opportunity to contribute municipal perspectives to this important process."

Not enough environmental consultation, Gravel Watch says

Ballantyne says another major concern of Rocky View Gravel Watch is the lack of environmental consultation done by the task force.

Stakeholders engaged by the task force include the Alberta Sand and Gravel Association, Consulting Engineers of Alberta, Alberta Municipalities and Rural Municipalities of Alberta.

"Not having spoken to any environmental groups ... I think it really erodes their credibility," she said.

The provincial government's Water Act and Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act are among the policies currently in place to minimize the environmental impacts of aggregate development in Alberta.