Its is a quarry

There seems to be a considerable amount of misunderstanding regarding the difference between a quarry and a gravel pit. While a great deal of talk by the developer, the Regional District and, unfortunately, the Media regarding the proposed "Gravel Pit" in Joe Rich off Daves Road (by Heartland/Eight Mile Ranch) the reality of what they are describing is not a gravel pit but a quarry.

While they may process some aggregate through the crushing of the "garbage" material from what they are really after, the majority of what they really intend to remove, if you pay attention to what they are actually saying in their news releases, is large pieces of decorative rock often referred to as "Riprap."

You know the stuff, the majestic looking rock retaining and structural walls around the multi-million dollar mega-structures. This is not the nice neat sand/gravel piles like you see out by the airport, this is blasting, this is a rock crusher roaring all day (and possibly through the night as well -- after all we have a schedule to keep) virtually right next door to a residential neighbourhood, this is the non-stop beep-beep-beeping of hazard warnings on heavy machinery, this is heavy-duty trucks careening down narrow country/neighbourhood roads while at the same time turning on/off a major highway a virtually blind intersections — ya need more?

How about realizing that a quarry requires water, lots of water, in an area that is notorious for water shortages and more than a few homes have to have water trucked in (we're in a drought now and with climate change it will only get worse)? How about the blasting shaking the surrounding ground so much that that mud wall beside the highway at the eight-mile hairpin crashes down on the road, if not killing someone at least costing the taxpayer clear-up costs? How about the blasting shaking the ground enough to cause a slide into Mission Creek right at the Black Mountain Irrigation Water intake which just might cause the highway above it to collapse in the same area?

How about destroying a beautiful natural hillside in order to put a bunch more money into some mucky-mucks pocket while stroking the narcissistic egos of some wealthy transplant?

Why, on Gods Green (for now) Earth would anyone propose this, why in the world would anybody even give this any consideration and why would any of our elected representatives, who are suppose to be working "for the people" and the good of the land while conserving water, even thinking about approving this travesty!?

Sweet mother of God.

You might have got the idea that I am opposed to this development and you would be right, one of the many reasons I am opposed is the idea of having to take my life into my hands any time I travel into Kelowna for groceries, etc.

Please everybody, get your heads out of where the sun don't shine and for once in your life do what is right and stand-up to these bozos.

John B. Collinson