Members of the public interested in local geology, water management and/or the environmental impact of the gravel industry can join in a free, hands-on walking lecture near Cochrane next week.
The "Adventures in the Wilderness" program will be held in the area north of Cochrane that looks at the area’s geology and the environmental impact of gravel mining on Sunday, Sept. 15.
The program is hosted by the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), and will be led by Tako Koning, a senior professional geologist and a long-time AWA volunteer.
The area that the field trip will focus on was glaciated about 15,000 years ago which created the magnificent Bighill Creek meltwater valley. Glaciation also resulted in thick, commercially valuable gravel deposits. Some of these deposits will be mined and are almost next door to Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. This is of great concern to organizations such as the Bighill Creek Preservation Society and the Alberta Wilderness Association.
About the park, Koning said, “It is a beautiful and much-visited and much-loved small 70-acre park within which some of the most unique springs in Canada are located. These are thermal and mineral springs which flow at a constant +6 degrees C even in the middle of winter when the temperature can drop to as low as -40 C. We are very concerned that this mine covering almost a half section (320 acres) of land and going as deep as possibly 30 meters could damage the subsurface water in this area.”
Koning has fifty years of experience in Canada and overseas working with subsurface reservoirs, both oil and gas-bearing, as well as those which provide potable water.
“Geology is not a precise science, especially when dealing with the subsurface," he said. "This gravel mining may not have any effect on the park, but on the other hand, if it does damage the subsurface flow of water, the damage is done, and then nothing can be done to repair it. We take the view that the risk is unacceptable in terms of its possible impact on this jewel of a park.”
This field trip is open to the public. Details are on the websites of the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Bighill Creek Preservation Society:
