Quarry Operations
The Woodstock Quarry was licenced under the Pits and Quarries Control Act (PCQA) in the 1970’s. When the Aggregate Resources Act came into effect in 1990, all licencees had to update their site plans to meet the new site plan standards. This occurred over a four year period. The replacement Site Plan that was created for the Woodstock Quarry in the early 1990s, was submitted and approved without a complete operational plan for the entire licenced area. There is currently no extraction or rehabilitation plan for Concession 2 (West Block) and Concession 4 (East Block) or the northern lot in Concession 3 (Center Block). A site plan amendment will be required prior to extraction occurring within these portions of the licensed lands. As required by the current Site Plan approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Lafarge is applying for a major Site Plan Amendment to complete the Site Plan for the remainder of the licensed area known as the West Block, East Block, and Centre Block of the Woodstock Quarry.
Our Newest Project
The purpose of the Site Plan Amendment Application for the Woodstock Quarry is to update the site plan (including the rehabilitation plan) on the lands that are already included within the Aggregate Resources Act Licence #2180. A new site plan is being prepared that meets today’s due diligence requirements in order to rectify an administrative omission when the plans were last updated in the 1990’s. The current licenced area at the Woodstock quarry is 550 ha (1360 ac) with a 44 ha (110 ac) extraction area. This amendment will establish the full extraction footprint of aproximately 385 ha (951 ac), located within the current licenced area. The entire licenced site is Designated (by the County of Oxford Official Plan) and Zoned (in the Township of Zorra Zoning By-Law) to permit extraction.
We have retained the services of Golder Associates to conduct various field surveys on the lands, including natural environment and hydrogeological studies. The results of these surveys will be included as part of the major site plan amendment application package. This application for a major site plan amendment will be circulated to various Provincial government agencies, such as the Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, and will also be posted on the EBR for public comments. The Township of Zorra and the County of Oxford will also have the opportunity to comment on the proposal.
The new rehabilitation plan will be consistent with the existing approved after-use plan and will include a lake with two separate water zones. One zone will support recreational activities such as a beach while the other zone which will support a more natural setting with diverse landforms which will provide habitat for wildlife. The new rehabilitation plan will build on the existing rehabilitation plan for the site, allowing for more opportunities for these recreational and natural settings.
We will continue to engage with our neighbours and a broad range of community stakeholders to review our plans for the Woodstock Quarry. We are open to having discussions regarding this amendment application, as well as, our current operations and rehabilitation with any stakeholders in the community.
Various agencies will be consulted during this project, including:
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
- Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks
- Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
- Oxford County
- Township of Zorra
- Local neighbours and local elected officials
