A public consultation about the expansion plans for a quarry in Northeast Coquitlam is now over.
Today (April 11), B.C.'s Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation said the 30-day period for feedback ended last Saturday (April 8).
Staff received roughly 45 letters on Heidelberg Materials' (Lehigh Hanson) plans to increase its rock mining pit by 50 per cent; a summary of their contents may be included in the Statutory Decision Maker's ruling.
The "next steps will be for the Statutory Decision Maker to review public concerns, as well as input from other government agencies and First Nations to help inform a decision," a ministry spokesperson told the Tri-City News.
Among those raising the flag about the possible expansion of the quarry — located at the end of Quarry Road in Coquitlam, next to the Pitt River — is area resident Renato Spano, who spoke before the city's council-in-committee last month about the narrow, gravel road to and from the pit.
At the time, the committee stated it would write a letter to the ministry about the proposal and neighbourhood complaints.
As well, the Burke Mountain Residents' Association called for action via its Facebook page and urged homeowners to take a stand to stop the application, citing environmental and transportation concerns.
The association said the proposed expansion would result in 34 more trucks a day travelling Quarry Road, Victoria Drive, David Avenue and Coast Meridian Road to haul aggregate or machines.
Besides the expansion, Heidelberg also wants to boost its permitted annual tonnage of rock from one million to 1.5 million.
Heidelberg states that the original mining grant issued 40 years ago "had set out a permitted mining boundary" that's "still not completely disturbed and recovered."
