Description
On 25 October 2023, Municipal Enterprises Ltd registered the Walden Quarry Expansion Project, Lunenburg County for environmental assessment, in accordance with Part IV of the Environment Act.
The purpose of the proposed undertaking is to expand the existing less than 4-hectare quarry located at 2995 Woodstock Road, Walden, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. The existing quarry has been in operation for approximately 8 years. The land associated with the expanded quarry will occupy a maximum of 27.84 hectares, which includes the existing quarry footprint. The expanded quarry will support continued extraction and production of quality aggregate products used primarily in the road construction industry in Lunenberg County. It is expected that the continued use of the quarry will be identical, or very similar, to historic use at the site, including occasional drilling and blasting, and operation of a portable crusher to temporarily crush, stockpile, and transport aggregate materials when MEL has work in the area. The project is anticipated to commence during the 2024 construction season with production volumes of approximately 50,000 tonnes per year during years in which the quarry is active. A project life of up to 40 years is expected.
Minister's Decision
On 14 December 2023, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change released a decision (PDF) concerning this review. The Minister has decided to approve the undertaking in accordance with Section 13(1)b of the Environmental Assessment Regulations, pursuant to Part IV of the Environment Act. The undertaking has been approved subject to a number of conditions (PDF).
Project Documents
- Minister's Decision, Approval (PDF)
- Conditions (PDF)
- Comments EA Registration (PDF)
- Public Notice (PDF)
Registration
- Walden Quarry Expansion Project EA Registration Document (PDF)
- Appendix A - Part 1 - Figures 1 to 8 (PDF)
- Appendix A - Part 2 - Figures 9 to 17 (PDF)
- Appendix B-H (PDF)
- Appendix I-O (PDF)
Opportunities for Public Input
Public comments on the Registration were accepted until 24 November 2023.
All comments received from the public consultation will be posted on the department's website for public viewing. In the case of an individual, the address, email and contact information will be removed before being placed on the website.