The response from the neighbours of Brown's Pit

Friends and Neighbours, Jim and Betty Findlay speak for all of us when they say this in response to Rich Coleman's letter:

Rich Coleman, MLA
Fort Langley-Aldergrove
Minister of Housing and Social Development

Dear Rich Coleman,

Thank you for your letters in reply to mine of September 18, 2008, protesting the proposal to re-open Browns’ Pit.

Your last letter of April 9, 2009 advising that the proposal has been abandoned, has brought relief to my family and many others dependent on the Hopington Aquifer as their only source of good water.

Any efforts on your behalf conducive to this decision is sincerely appreciated and it is rewarding to know common sense prevails.

Thank you,

Jim & Betty Findlay

Open Forum - Langley Municipality

An Open Forum will be held on Saturday, April 18th at the Murrayville Hall near 5 Corners on Old Yale Rd near 216th.

This response came in this afternoon. Click on the letter if you want to see it full scale.

Gravel or Drinking Water

Local resident Bill Mozel gives a concise account of the history of the struggle between the local residents and those elected officials who have been in control of the proposed gravel removal project.

Provincial Government Decision Looms

For Opening Brown Road Pit

Our Langley neighborhood awaits the decision by the Provincial Government on plans to re-open and expand Brown Road Pit for 1,000,000 plus cubic metres of gravel for the Gateway Project, right in our own backyards. There are approximately 55 private water wells within 450 meters of the planned gravel mine. This plan has probably been in the works for years, but our neighborhood only became aware of the proposal early last summer through activity on the property and an article in our local newspaper. Our neighborhood has been working diligently for many months to stop the proposed gravel mine and save our drinking water.

In the Provincial Legislature on March 24 & 25, 2009; MLA & Opposition Environmental Critic, Shane Simpson asked the Minister of Environment, Barry Penner; "Will he commit today that he will not approve of gravel extraction from Brown's Pit and will protect the integrity of the community's drinking water". Minister Penner's reply was:"I'll be pleased to investigate this matter and take the question of notice". Upon further pursuing this environmental issue regarding the sensitive Hopington aquifer and that we do not have a Plan B for drinking water; Mr. Simpson then directed questioning to the Minister of Transport who is behind this proposal, asking him to do the right thing & withdraw this proposal around the Brown's Pit gravel and say to our community that he will find his gravel somewhere else, not jeopardize our water source and back off his proposal. Again, Minister Penner's reply was:"As I've already indicated, I'll look into this matter. Since the member has not seen fit to bring it to my attention before today, I will endeavour to investigate this matter".

Obviously, Minister Penner does not acknowledge receiving the following regarding Brown Road Pit & our Hopington aquifer:
1) January 16,2009: Bill & Elizabeth Mozell delivered in person to Minister Penner's constituency office in Chilliwack, a 27 page petition with cover letter.
(The same item also delivered to Minister Falcon & Minister Coleman )
2) January 30,2009: Karren Winther & her husband, Nick Constantino e-mailed Mr.Penner on this matter.
3) February 10,2009: Dr. B. Moats sent a letter to Mr. Penner on this issue.
4) March 12,2009: Karren Winther & Nick Constantino, again mailed an extensive information package to Mr. Penner on this issue.

What did we all receive from our Minister of Environment? "NO REPLY".

To the Minister of Environment, the Honourable Barry Penner and his government's plans for expansion and re-opening of Brown's Road Pit; the matter is plain & simple; this is an 'ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE'. For the minister to deny (and that is stating it mildly) any knowledge or refuse to respond in the legislature to this serious environmental matter is an insult to the people of our community and the Province of B.C.
We have not heard a whisper from Mr. Penner to this day and I find his lack of interest, input or comments to be unacceptable for a Minister of Environment. Perhaps, he is restricted by an internal government 'gag order' or his ministry is under the direction & control of the Minister of Transportation.

Members of our neighborhood delegation met with our MLA, R.Coleman on Dec 10, 2008; NO REPLY. The petition and cover letter delivered Jan 19,2009;
NO REPLY. Finally, on Feb 16, 2009 an ambiguous letter & local newspaper announcement that no gravel will be extracted if there is risk to the aquifer.

Our neighborhood delegation met with MoT, Minister Falcon, Deputy Minister K. Blasetti & G.Dawson (Project Director-Gateway Project) on March 6,2009.
We were all made aware that Mr. Falcon's decision on gravel mining from Brown Road Pit will be based on "FACTS" from a hydrogeological assessment by EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd.; the governments firm of choice. Mr. Falcon also made it very clear that the residents of West Vancouver went to Provincial Court over a project that affected trees and wildlife. He stated that the provincial government won that case.
Minister Falcon; we are not dealing with trees or wildlife. We are trying to protect our drinking water, private wells and the fragile Hopington Aquifer.

Last year, September 22, 2008, EBA Consulting sent a report to the MoT with the results of a desk-top study and a site visit to document potential surface and groundwater issues associated with the property on Brown Road. From this report; quote: "The above-referenced 'Map of Groundwater Vulnerability' identifies that the Hopington Aquifer underlies the Property area. The Hopington Aquifer is considerd by B.C. Ministry of Environment (MoE) to have "very high" rating with respect to its vulnerability for being contaminated from surface sources.

Without having started the project and removing 1 shovel full of gravel; Mr.Falcon's facts will be based on the data from 5 (MoT) monitoring wells:
a) present level of water table
b) present quality of water
c) present direction of water flow
It is difficult to imagine that Mr. Falcon will base his decision on these facts before a hole approximately 800'x500'x(50'-100'deep) is even started.
Minister Falcon, you will inevitably contaminate our drinking water, ruin our private wells, damage the sensitive Hopington aquifer and destroy the neighborhood we cherish & enjoy so much.

To Premier Campbell, Minister Falcon, Minister Coleman and Minister Penner;
Your decision should be based on only 2 of the 4 choices:

YOUR GRAVEL OR OUR WATER

DOLLARS & CENTS OR COMMON SENSE


W.N. (Bill) Mozell
Township of Langley

The health of the Salmon river is important to Chinook Salmon

The Salmon River is again one that is used to compare the health of the various streams in the area. At present, this river is noted as being one in which there is a good survival rate of Chinook salmon according to the DFO. The Coughlan Creek runs directly into the Salmon River, the confluence of the two being not far from the proposed gravel pit at Brown's Pit.

The Giveaway of Our Provincial Resources

I have a book to read that was recommended to me by my son, Ed. He said, "It will make you mad, Mom." It is called Liquid Gold: Energy Privatization in British Columbia by John Calvert.

As many of you know, helping to save our local Hopington Aquifer, where many of us in the Municipality of Langley, get our water, has been uppermost in my mind recently. We cannot afford to gamble with our water. There is no alternative water supply. We are dependent on our wells. Although I've never been much of an activist, the potential for damage to HopingtonAquifer, by the government plan, has caused this grandmother to climb over barbed wire fences in an effort to bring attention to our plight.

Then I got an e-mail with two links in it:

http://saveourrivers.tv/powerplay_player5.html and

http://ashlu.info/video/bcrivers.html.

As I watched these two short films discussing the privatization of our natural resources, they made me furious! These films are not about what kind of politics you believe in,. They are about BC, our resources, and what is happening to them. These resources are being given away to private industry. Its a Gold Rush and the citizens of this province receive no benefit yet ultimitely pay the price.

Please take a look at them with an open mind, and realize what this will do to our children and grandchildren in the future, and what is being taken from them.
This grandmother is getting her eyes opened wide in 2009.

I hope you will take a few moments to check them out. Your comments are welcome in this blog. Just click on the comment square below this post.

Water versus Gravel; We Cannot Afford to Gamble

According to Kevin Falcon, the government is waiting for an answer from their hydrologist, who they expect to determine whether they should take the gravel out of Brown’s Pit. When opinions have been given by several other studies and those express reservations regarding that controversial option, should our government move on the opinion of only one? Is that not taking a gamble, the gamble being that only one person is right? Now what if that one person is wrong and the others are right. Then what is to be done? Our water would be contaminated by the gravel removal! What other option would we have? We would have gambled and lost. I’m not a moonlight gambler. I cannot afford to loose the water we depend on and neither can the other people of the Municipality of Langley. Water is a necessity of life.

In case you missed today's Langley Advance you might want to click on this link for a little chuckle:
http://www2.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/opinion/story.html?id=b694dc25-d173-42a5-a497-2ef86bf83e58&p=1

The Plans to Reopen Brown's Pit Must Stop Now!

Karren Winther, another neighbour lists her reasons for opposing the reopening of Brown's Pit, which lies over the Hopington Aquifer.

Located at 240th street and 68th avenue in Langley
Beneath it lies the already overpumped and fragile Hopington Aquifer which supplies drinking water to well over 3000 homes – studies completed as early as last year which this government participated in classify it as one of the three most fragile aquifers in the province
This ex gravel pit was mined up until, and then closed in 1963 – 11 years later the area developed - wells were drilled and homes built. More recently legislation to prevent open pit gravel mining in the municipality was put into place.
Now, 46 years later this B.C. government wants to reopen this mine, enlarge it and extract gravel from this sensitive area – literally in our backyard
We were here first – this is not acceptable!!!
At risk is the quality and quantity of drinking water to thousands of people
We know gravel pits are bad (as quoted from a Fraser Health employee)
Case studies show that the result of ground vibrations from extracting and filling results in increased levels of arsenic in drinking water and phospherus levels in fish bearing creeks (the Salmon River and Couglan Creek surround this area)
Furthermore the water table is dropping at an alarming rate now – and plans to extract over one million (1,000,000) cubic metres of gravel (the largest pit Langley has ever had application for!!) will result in a hole 400 feet by 700 feet by 50 to 100 feet deep.
There are no other options for water here - the Township of Langley has assured us there is no hope of having city/municipal water in this area for at least 10 – 15 years.
There are many other sources for gravel – Heidleberg, Mainland Sand and Gravel, Valley Sand & Gravel and Lafarge to mention only a few. Gravel can be barged down the river directly from the Sumas pit at a fraction (1/20th) of the cost as mining and transporting it by truck.

Contact Number 604-530-6106 or
www.hopingtonaquifer

Update on Saving our water at Brown's Pit over Hopington Aquifer

My neighbour Bob Moats had this to say about the mining of Brown's Pit:

The proposed mining of Brown's Pit in Langley Township for provincial Port Mann and freeway construction gravel is an unconscionable act which cannot occur without every aspect of community, water safety and environmental integrity being devastated. This is in spite of a long standing moratorium on gravel extraction in the Township of Langley.
Our community group learned that “the plan” calls for 1 million cubic yards of gravel removal. This makes their claim of no damage to the aquifer, water quality and community and leaving this ALR land in improved agricultural shape when finished an untrue statement.
Let’s put size in context: My home is a 6.4 acre lot bordering the south 700 feet of Brown's Pit (the area that still has gravel). The footprint of 1 million cubic yards is one-third the volume of the Gizza Pyramid whose base covers 13 acres (exactly double my lot) and attains a height of 450 ft. So the ground footprint of the excavation of my north border would be 700 feet long and 400 feet wide (the pit itself isn’t that wide so it would have to go deeper than 50 – 100 foot deep to round out to 1 million cubic yards. This is a frightful image.
The damage to the Hopington aquifer would be stunning. All the oil and other toxic material dripping from machinery would travel for miles in the gravel (anyone remember Walkerton?). The gravel is God’s water filter and with the extraction the gravel would be gone. The natural filtering process destroyed – the damage incalculable.
I have questions and so should you all.
If the provincial government is so incredibly comfortable turning their back on fair play on the Cambie Street corridor and in Delta – would we expect to be treated differently? Should we be comforted by “we’ll do a study” (surveying for the freeway ramp is done, as are four test wells). Is surveying part of the pre-study process? Do they, as we suspect, consider this a “done deal”?
With a gargantuan hole 700x400x50-100 feet deep does anyone believe that they will “restore it for agricultural use”? That is being economical with the truth – more precisely a lie. Such a fill project would be virtually impossible – whose quality soil would they steal to fulfill this pipedream?
We recently (last two years) were subjected to the filling of part of the old pit. They hauled for weeks, making our roads unsafe and dumping illegal material (hog fuel) into the old pit. They contaminated adjacent wells (hog fuel) and when finished it didn’t make a dent in the old gravel evacuation space. Restore to agricultural use indeed!
Is the ALR protecting our breadbasket or are they a thinly veiled Liberal rubber stamp? We’re told that this project has preliminary ALR approval – how can that be possible if anybody is doing their job?
Our group is methodically gathering facts and information and the more we gather the more frightened and outraged we become.
Meanwhile, I will not stand quietly and idly by while unprincipled people in government without a conscience commit a premeditated “rape of Langley”.
Bob Moats, Langley

Brown's Pit and Hoppington Aquifer Part 3

Some interesting information has come to my attention on the internet today. The Globe and Mail has an article relating to the controversy regarding gravel mining in Brown's Pit and the effect this could have on the Hopington Aquifer. It can be found at:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090326.BCLANGLEY26/TPStory/TPNational/BritishColumbia/

For anyone interested in reading the transcript of the legislative discussion relating to this subject I found them at:

March 24th
http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/38th5th/H90324y.htm

March 25th
http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/38th5th/H90325y.htm

Brown's Pit and Hopington Aquifer Continued

For two days now, our legislature has discussed the proposed gravel removal at Brown's Pit above the Hopington Aquifer. Shane Simpson, the NDP Environmental Critic brought the subject up in question period during the afternoon session on March 24th. He addressed his question to the Liberal Environment Minister, Barry Penner who appeared to be unaware of the problem. His response was that he would look into it.

Giving the government 24 hours to get the information, Shane Simpson again brought the subject up again on March 25th. He stated that the Environment Minister should have been aware of the problem with mining over the Hopington Aquifer at Brown's Pit as the information had been delivered to him by several interested parties over a period of weeks, beginning in January and February and included a 309 signature petition.

The buck was then passed by Barry Penner, the Environment Minister to Kevin Falcon, the Minister of Highways. Who responded to each of the three NDP MLAs who spoke on the subject. His repeated response to each question was that his government would "make the decision with facts given to them by people who have a lot of expertise in the area." I am wondering how they pick and chose which of the experts that they hire are the ones they can listen to. They already have two studies produced by branches of their government that claim the Hopington Aquifer is fragile and should be protected. Now Falcon says they are waiting for a hydrologist's report. Tell me, does that report negate the two previously produced reports?

Is this a new policy of this government? I attended a meeting in Chilliwack on March 19th at which a series of experts stood up and declared that gravel mining on the Fraser River would do nothing for flood control but would seriously destroy gravel beds that are used by salmon, sturgeon and other fish to lay their eggs. The government has consistently ignored the advice of the experts who have filed reports advising them of this fact. If the government had taken the time to consult and listen to some of their own experts they might have made better choices for the location of their gravel dredging permits for the Fraser River bars. The only fish the government seems to be interested in are the red herrings they throw out to divert the attention of citizens from getting the facts.

Hopington Aquifer, Brown's Pit and the Gateway Project

This blog was intended to feature stories relating to travel, however at this time my attention has been riveted on a site much closer to home - Brown’s Pit and the Hopington Aquifer. Water is a necessity of life and therefore anything that threatens our water supply is a threat against each of us who depend on the Hopington Aquifer for our water supply.

I have traveled to many places in the world and seen how people’s concerns about the environment are making a difference. The indigenous people of Taiwan took the responsibility to bring back depleted fish stocks; the native people of Borneo are replanting trees in the rainforest to replace the food sources for the animals that live in the corridors that run beside their river.

It makes me sad to know that in Canada our British Columbia government is basically ignoring our environmental concerns. They are not providing good environmental leadership. How can our provincial government claim to be “going green” when their big move has been to add two cents to our gas price! Get traffic moving so that we don’t use so much gas! Twinning the Port Mann Bridge has been discussed for years. Now we have the big plan for a new 10 lane bridge. How much longer will it take to get that one on the road?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m in favour of a bridge that will meet the present and future needs of the Fraser Valley community. People who live out in the country don’t have access to public transportation, although we are expected to subsidize it. However, the need for that bridge has only been given lip service for many years, while commuters have been left to idle their engines on the Highway 1 parking lot for those many years.

With an election in the offing and federal money being offered the government is now going to move with a newer bigger plan – one 10 lane bridge. What happened to twinning I might ask? The plan includes widening Highway 1 east while the bridge is being done. Both ideas seem to be well received here in the Fraser Valley. Anything is better than nothing!

Now we come to materials to see this plan come to fruition. Gravel is a much needed commodity for construction anywhere and especially for road construction. Gravel is also worth big bucks to the construction industry. To the government, Brown’s Pitt became their obvious solution. It is just south of the freeway and could be reached by building off-on ramps at 240th St. between the 232nd and 264th exits. No further need to worry. Just get the ALR to remove the land from the agricultural land reserve, build a couple of on-off ramps and they would be in business. They say, “Anyone who might oppose our plan is not in favour of progress.”

But just wait a minute. We have a major environmental concern. Brown's Pit is on top of the Hopington Aquifer.

Brown's Pit, also know as the Brown Road Pit. is pastoral farmland located at 240th Street and 68th Avenue in Langley. It has been such for 46 years. It was part of the Agricultural Land Reserve. Beneath it lies the already over pumped and fragile Hopington Aquifer which supplies drinking water to the wells serving over 3000 homes over a large area of the Municipality of Langley. Studies completed as late as last year, in which this government was involved, classify it as one of the three most fragile aquifers in the province. Meaning that if it is not protected it could be destroyed! What would happen to all the people and animals that depend on that water for their homes? Where is the alternative water supply if removal of the gravel from Brown's Pit causes arsenic to leach into our water supply? Would the government pipe water in from somewhere else? Would you really believe that? That would involve big bucks again. Some people on piped municipal water currently may not realize that their water comes from community wells that get their water from the Hoppington Aquifer. Rich Colman sent us a letter telling us they are waiting for the results of a study that will be completed AFTER the election. Yes, but what about the studies already done stating that the Hoppington Aquifer is fragile, so gravel removal would be hazardous. Why are those studies being ignored? What are we supposed to do if their predictions come true?

Secondly even with the on-off ramps at 240th the multitude of gravel trucks would be traveling the freeway at all hours causing major disruptions in the traffic during those hours. Currently that area is one of the problem areas on Highway 1 east. Traffic is subject to frequent stoppages on a regular basis. Traffic frequently comes to a standstill between 232nd and 264th especially during rush “hour.” The so called “rush hour” is a misnomer. “Rush hour” on Highway 1 is no longer an hour, but is from 5:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. traveling west and heading east it conservatively from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. and maybe longer.

There is another more ecologically friendly alternative that does not appear to be considered. We have been told that the gravel could be barged along the Fraser River at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience – not disrupting traffic on Highway 1 to the same degree. It could be brought to site from either under the Port Mann Bridge or under the new Golden Ears Bridge which will open later this year. A mountain of gravel is being extracted from the Vedder Mountain. Gravel is now being barged to California from Sechelt and Texada Island. That option could not only save the project money, it would save some of the traffic congestion, which wastes fuel and time, but it would also help to save the Hopington Aquifer. When it comes to water v.s gravel – water has to take precedence every time. Water is a necessity of life.

B.C. citizens must let our government know that Brown’s Pit is not the ecologically friendly way to obtain gravel for the new bridge and freeway expansion. Abusing the Hopington Aquifer is not an option. Serious consideration must be given to other options including barging the gravel along the Fraser River. If it is cost effective for Californians to barge gravel from B.C. Why would it not make a lot of sense for that gravel to be used for B.C. construction purposes? As B.C. citizens we need to be confident that our government considers it their business to protect our water and our environment.