The Ontario Soil, Sand and…

The Ontario Soil, Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA) has prepared their own document titled OSSGA Excess Soil Guidance for Aggregate Producers, June 2021. Section 4.1.8 Placement of Excess Soils Below the Natural Groundwater Table includes the following statement: "For pits or quarries where extraction is below the natural water table, generic and site specific excess soil standards may not be protective of groundwater downgradient of pits and quarries. Therefore, it is important to understand the groundwater levels prior to dewatering activities for placement of soils meeting the generic Excess Soil Reuse Standards above the water table. This is especially true for the final rehabilitation and post license water table conditions. Material placement may need to consider the long term/re-established stable water table condition after dewatering pumps have shutdown and site closure to determine the appropriate Excess Soil Quality standard for the soils to be imported."
The site proposed to import excess soil is up-gradient of 100's of wells, and quarried into the Onondaga aquifer. This proposal would be contrary to the OSSGA's own cautions.