Landowners immediately west of Cochrane who’ve been fighting the imminent significant expansion of Burnco gravel operations were discouraged to hear Rocky View County (RVC) has failed to show more urgency in the development of a gravel extraction policy, as reported in The Eagle last week.
At a July 23 Council meeting, given the choice between establishing a deadline for next discussion of a new gravel policy of September 30 or the end of December, RVC opted for the end of the year.
Area landowner Susan Hall is frustrated with the delay and with the byzantine processes involved in Alberta surrounding gravel pits.
“Recent events have brought to the forefront the fragility of our water supply. All levels of government must nurture and care for the water supply to protect this irreplaceable, and absolutely necessary resource,” she said.
Hall said groups opposing the speed of development of gravel mines don’t want it to stop – just change.
“Residents are not saying, ‘don’t mine gravel;’ they are saying ‘do it responsibly,’” she said.
“Burnco currently has the west gravel pit – a strip of land that runs right up to Cochrane for 100 years. This is not a temporary use of land – Rocky View County has failed its residents by failing to develop an aggregate resources plan and delaying it yet again.”
Alberta Environment is not taking sufficient responsible action to protect our water and environment. Rocky View County is not advocating for its constituents. Residents of Rocky View County, Cochrane, and Calgary should be alarmed and band together to insist on accountability and protect our dwindling water,” Hall said.
Rocky View Gravel Watch, a group that describes itself as “A volunteer group of residents concerned about the impact of gravel development on the health, safety and quality of life in Rocky View,” said that by voting against the latest motion (put forward by Councillor Samantha Wright at the July 23 RVC meeting), Council was in effect, slowing down the process on overseeing gravel extraction.
Wright’s motion was and is seen by the gravel lobby group as a positive step forward, designed to “speed up the process” that’s been dragging on since 2013. It would have brought the ARP discussion back to the table in September. Council voted it down in favour of a motion to push the debate to December.
County staff had assured the meeting they could deliver on the September timeline.
“We really feel the majority dropped the ball,” said Gravel Watch spokesperson Janet Ballantine.
“Staff told them they could move more quickly – we just don’t understand why they’re not.”
Ballantine wasn’t sure what the next step might be.
“I honestly don’t know. It’s so depressing,” she said. ‘We’re going to be left with a crap shoot as to what the next council looks like.”
The next municipal elections are set for Oct. 20, 2025.
Area rancher Ann McNabb said area residences west of Cochrane support concerns about Rocky View County not developing aggregate resource policies.
“Approximately 1100 acres or 6km along the Bow River West of Cochrane are in various stages of gravel approval or planned. The area requires disturbance of water and mining in the water aquifer. This is the area that potentially impacts Rocky View, Cochrane, Calgary and downstream drinking water,” she said.
“Currently there are no clear lines of responsibility, accountability and action set out between the province and the municipalities to protect the important water resource and the environment. This allows gravel operators to roar up the middle and get ahead of any changes that may occur – as both jurisdictions acknowledge gaps,” she said.
McNabb called on both jurisdictions – the County and The Province – to develop aggregate policies before further approvals occur.
Gerry Bietz, who was a member of the advisory committee struck to review the Aggregate Resource Plan (ARP), said the County must create policies to govern gravel approvals and regulations to actively monitor operations and enforce standards.
“The ARP needs to be in place before Burnco makes their application for a mine on their three quarter sections surrounding Big Hill Springs Provincial Park or their next Cochrane West expansion.”
Gravel Watch and Bietz both singled out RVC Reeve Crystal Kissel for particular scorn for not supporting the September option.
The Eagle reached out to Kissel for a response to all of these allegations but did not get a return call or email.
In July 2021 RVC declined a Burnco request to approve aggregate resource policy on 12 quarters or approximately six km along the highway 1A west of Cochrane.
Burnco then applied to Alberta Environment in 2022. In January 2024 they got approval for mining, dewatering and water disturbance on the twelve quarters that Rocky View didn’t approve in 2021.
