Joe Rich gravel pit not welcome

At least one politician is chomping at the bit and the bureaucrats say the applicant jumped the gun.

The Regional District Director for Joe Rich says a proposed gravel pit in the Black Mountain area will only add another scar to the Okanagan.

A private company is proposing a gravel pit near Goudie Road with access of Pyman Road (private).

The company recently posted a sign at the edge of Highway 33 at Pyman Road indicating anyone affected by the proposed pit has 30 days to speak up.

The Ministry of Mines says the applicant had no business putting up the sign because it has not provided the government with the proper paperwork.

"That 30 day window will not close," says Joe Seguin of the government's Mining and Minerals division. "That 30 day window should not be there. The sign should reflect the fact that there is an application and it should also alert people to the fact that the information is available in the library for review, which is it not."

Seguin says there is no deadline for the applicant to provide the government with details of the application. He says those details will include water and traffic impact studies. He says that once the information is provided, it will only be available at the library and not online.

Meantime, the Regional Director for Joe Rich says the proposed gravel pit would devastate the area.

"We all moved out to the country for peace and tranquility and a gravel pit in our back yard will absolutely ruin everything. We're really, really upset about it," says Patty Hansen who is out of the country and won't be back until June 10.

For starters, Hansen says wildlife is a concern.

"There are animals up there that are on the blue and red listed species that will be gone."

Then there's the increase in truck traffic on Highway 33.

"We're really concerned about the gravel trucks going up and down highway 33 on top of the traffic going to Big White. It's going to create a hassle on a two lane highway. Black Mountain school is also concerned about more gravel trucks going up and down the highway," says Hansen.

She says water is also a major concern.

"If the pit needs water, there are people on Huckleberry Road that run out of water and if the springs go dry, then we're all hooped. If the gravel pit is drawing the water from the earth, it will draw much more than each household."

Hansen says affected residents should speak up.

"Joe Rich residents and everyone up and down Black Mountain should not support this gravel pit. We have enough scars all over the Okanagan Valley and to create one on the east side will be devastating. You fly into Kelowna and there are holes everywhere."

Regional District Board Chair, Robert Hobson, says he's looking into the matter.

"It appears to be a similar application that the Board received in 2002 with some differences, one of them being the length of the application."

The application apparently suggests mining the site until 2035.

Hobson points out that the Regional District does not have the final say on whether the application is approved or denied.

"Because it's just a pit, it's entirely up to the purview of the province, but our staff has asked for additional information because the board will be concerned about various factors including, the impact the pit might have on traffic, the ecology and dust. Visual impact will also be of importance because it would located on the slopes of Black Mountain. But having said that, we don't make the final decision, the province does."

MLA Al Horning says he's not aware of the application and promises to look into it.