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In an area protected by the Clean Water Act, an application has been submitted for a new aggregate licence at 1824-1922 Witmer Road.

Waterloo Region is in a position to lose approximately 150 acres of prime farmland to another open pit mine. The Hallman pit application is to extract up to 750,000 tonnes of aggregate annually, as well as asphalt recycling, concrete recycling, and 5 wash ponds. The aggregate will be extracted to within 1.5 metres of the water table.

The operation of a gravel pit has the potential to use an immense amount of water and removes the very sand and gravel that cleans and filters the water below. Approximately 40% of said property encompasses a “recharge area” for municipal wellheads which serve as 7% of the Region of Waterloo’s drinking water source. The cities and towns of Cambridge, Elmira, Kitchener, St. Jacobs, Lloyd Brown, Waterloo, St. Agatha, Baden, New Hamburg, Mannheim and Shingletown all use this Integrated Urban System.

1824-1922 Witmer Road is a part of this local sustainable food system AND vital to providing clean, naturally filtered water to the Region for generations to come.

Help us stop the Hallman pit and protect farmland and water for our vibrant communities today and tomorrow. Please donate today.

Not convinced? Listen to Vice President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Mark Reusser, speak about his experience as a farmer and why this land is so important.