Quarry is proposed for Livingstone Trail

The city is seeking an amendment to its own long-term planning document to make way for a gravel quarry on the old Livingstone Trail.

The city is seeking an amendment to its own long-term planning document to make way for a gravel quarry on the old Livingstone Trail.

The amendment to the Official Community Plan (OCP) would see a 92.7-hectare site of unsurveyed commissioner’s land go from being designated as natural open space to natural resource if the OCP amendment is approved, notes an administrative report to city council.

The designation would allow the city to extract rock from the site to use as rip rap (rock protecting land from erosion) and in the continuing maintenance of the sewage lagoons in the area.

The site was first quarried in 1995 and 1996, when the lagoons and the sewage line crossing under the Yukon River next to the Whistle Bend site were constructed.

“A rock stockpile was extracted from this site and has been used at the sewage lagoons since that point; this stockpile is now depleted,“ reads a report presented to council last week by Brian Crist, the city’s director of operations.

“The city chose this location as it was the location of an abandoned quartz claim, relatively close to the sewage lagoons location, with the appropriate mineralization for use as rip rap.“

The city registered four new quartz claims for the site. It’s moving ahead with a land disposition request to get possession of the property from the territorial government.

Along with the step being taken at the territorial level, the city will also need to rezone the site if the OCP amendment is approved.

Currently zoned Undesignated Rural, the property would be required to be rezoned to Quarries. It’s expected the rezoning could be done by the end of the year if the OCP amendment goes to third reading by October.

A proposed timeline on the OCP amendment would see first reading come forward this evening. Should that go ahead, a public hearing would be held on Aug. 25, with second reading coming forward on Sept. 8 and third reading likely in October, with territorial approval. It would then have to go through a land acquisition bylaw and subdivision process.

If the proposal goes ahead as planned, the city would get to the property through the old Livingstone Trail.

“This road connects the Livingstone Trail sewage lagoons to this site, ending at the north fork of Croucher Creek, which is immediately adjacent to this site,“ reads the report.

While the road had originally crossed the creek, it has been washed out, making it impassable.

“At the request of the (federal) Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the crossing will not be re-installed, as this is a salmon-bearing creek,“ reads the report.

“As a result, no through traffic is currently using the old Livingstone Trail, and so there will be no possible disturbance created by the use of this area as a quarry.“

It goes on to state quarry activity would begin as soon as all approvals and paperwork are in place.

A restoration plan will be prepared if the OCP and zoning changes go through, it’s noted.

The southern boundary of the property is about 50 metres from the north fork of Croucher Creek.

“Ecosystem mapping for the area has indicated high site sensitivity on parts of Croucher Creek, but not on the area adjacent to the proposed site,“ reads the report

“A 30-metre buffer is the minimum OCP requirement; a 50-metre buffer should be sufficient to ensure that Croucher Creek is protected from any further harm as a result.“

The proposal will go forward for a Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment as well, with city officials hoping to have a decision from there by the proposed Aug. 25 public hearing, it noted.