Barrie-based company seeks OK to pull 454 litres of water per minute from Oro Moraine, environmental advocates voice concerns
Aggregate mine – Image from the Ontario Farmland Trust
From Simcoe.com, August 22, 2023
By Eli Ridder,
Advocates are raising the alarm over a company’s effort to pull water from the Oro Moraine.
Sarjeant Co. Limited, which has been running an aggregate pit in Oro Medonte for about a decade, recently applied to the province for a “permit to take water,” creating backlash from environmental advocates and community groups.
The permit, if approved by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, would give permission for Sarjeant to pull a maximum of 454 litres of water per minute, 24 hours per day at a maximum of 200 days per year for a decade.
If the permit is approved, the water will be used for industrial-aggregate washing purposes.
That’s a process where lightweight particles such as lignite, mica and shale are washed off sand to meet standards for use in products like asphalt and concrete.
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