Gravel Mining Program Review
June 1, 2017
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June 2017 Wildlands Advocate article, by Joanna Skrajny
In early February of this year, the Alberta Government held workshops to review the conduct and monitoring of sand and gravel mining operations throughout the province. This review was prompted largely by the Auditor General’s 2016 report. Auditor General Saher pointed to three very troubling facts: gravel pits are not inspected regularly, enforcement of operators’ reclamation responsibilities for their pits is virtually non-existent, and operators don’t pay a sufficient security deposit in the event they fail to reclaim the mine. This has resulted in a legacy problem. Hundreds of abandoned pits are scattered throughout the province and there is little to no money and resources to deal with this litter.
