After more than two-and-a-half hours of discussion Monday night in a filled council chamber, Salmon Arm council gave its support to a mining application in the Ranchero area – but with stipulations attached.
The site in question is at 4350 Highway 97B SE, off Black Road, just inside the municipal boundary. The property is owned by Allan and Jim Rhodes, and the applicant is Mike Zappone of Zappone Aggregate Processors.
City council dealt with a two-part approval.
Firstly, the provincial Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources is responsible for approving mining operations – the extraction of rock – but asked the municipality for a recommendation regarding the five-year permit application.
Secondly, the city’s jurisdiction comes in the form of a three-year temporary use permit with regard to the processing (crushing and screening) of gravel on the property. The permit was required because the land is zoned A2, rural holding.
Other than the applicants, all those who addressed council were opposed to the plan, and a petition with more than 120 signatures was presented. A number of concerns were raised, including: potential effects on water quantity and quality for nearby wells which get their water from the hill/mountain where mining would take place; noise from blasting and processing; dust and diesel fumes; increased traffic; problems related to notice given to neighbours to provide input; and negative effects on property values.
René Talbot, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board director who represents Ranchero and Deep Creek, asked city council to not support the application.
“Noise, dust, traffic and blasting are the main issues,” he said.
Steve Guidone, who lives in the 7000 block of Black Road, raised a number of concerns, including the possibility that blasting could cut off the already slow supply of water to residents’ wells. He urged getting qualified professionals to determine if water supplies would be threatened.
“We don’t want an ad hoc approach to dealing with the biggest investment we have,” he said, referring to people’s homes.
His suggestion eventually turned into a council motion. Council unanimously approved recommending that the mines ministry do a hydrological study to determine effects on water supply before approving the permit.
Coun. Ivan Idzan, who had suggested the hydrological study, also urged that a geotechnical study be requested. Coun. Ken Jamieson was alone in supporting his recommendation, so the geotechnical study won’t be requested.
Jamieson suggested that residents be given advance warning of when blasting will occur, given that the applicants said they intend to blast only once or twice a year.
Council agreed unanimously to recommend to the mining ministry that a notification for blasting be provided to neighbours, such as a four-by-eight sign on the roadway and a poster at Mellor’s store.
Coun. Alan Harrison suggested a third recommendation, one that was also supported unanimously. Regarding reclamation of the site following mining, he suggested that the site be replanted and left in a safe state.
In supporting the application, several councillors pointed to the need for aggregate in the city to support economic growth.
“We don’t have a ton of options,” said Coun. Chad Eliason. “We’ve issued a temporary use permit before for this reason. It’s to make sure the operator takes care and behaves in a neighbourly fashion.”
Harrison said he’d ridden up to the site on his motorbike and discovered a much different view than from driving on Black Road. He said the road veers farther away from houses than expected, there’s a large buffer for noise, and he doesn’t think the mine will be visible. He said the water concern is legitimate and council has addressed it with its recommendation to the ministry.