BIGHORN – Almost 10 years after the Ghost gravel pit went out of commission, Bighorn council approved more than $100,000 to reclaim the site.
During the Tuesday (Aug. 11) morning council meeting, MD of Bighorn administration brought forward a recommendation to proceed with the reclamation of the Ghost gravel pit, which has not produced any gravel and remained dormant since 2011.
“Reclaiming the pit will end our obligation with the province and liabilities associated with continuing to have a dormant pit,” Kendra Tippe, Bighorn environmental fieldman explained during the virtual meeting.
Council unanimously agreed the project should be completed, while Reeve Dene Cooper noted the process is an expensive one.
“This is all about gravel pits and government legislation and requirements … we know when we open [gravel pits] they will have to be closed and the public will see at cost. It is expensive to close gravel pits and gravel is not free,” Cooper said.
In 2017, Bighorn council approved a total budget of $45,000 to reclaim the Ghost pit and has since been corresponding with Alberta Transportation regarding its potential contribution to the project, administration noted in the background report.
But after three years with no funding expected from the province and costs to reclaim increasing, with the current budget forecast at $168,000, administration recommended council close out the project once and for all. In the report, it was also noted the MD’s lease for the site expired in 2011 and is also now cancelled.
Tippe recommended the MD fund the additional $123,000 from the Gravel Pit Reclamation Reserve to complete the reclamation, noting the $596,362 balance in the reserve, which was established solely for the purpose of reclaiming pits.
Council unanimously approved the additional funding for the project.
