YAMNUSKA AND SEEBE QUARRIES

ACTIVE SHALE QUARRIES

Information for potential property owners

Lafarge’s Exshaw Cement Plant has been in operation for over 110 years and owns and operates two active quarries that are located approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the plant in Yamnuska and Seebe.

The sandstone and shale quarries are active and have approval to operate with industrial lighting 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Lafarge has no plans to close or reclaim these quarries in the short or medium term and expects to use the quarries beyond 2070 to support Lafarge’s modernized, Exshaw Cement Plant.

This means that residents can expect:

• Noise and vibration caused by regular blasting activity
• Noise from breaking material and equipment operations
• Up to 100 trucks a day leaving and then returning to the quarries each day
• Airborne dust from quarry operations.

Evacuation potential during blasting

The proposed development area near Seebe is within 500m of our Shale Quarry operation. For any blasting that takes place, Lafarge employs a 500m exclusion zone to the front of the blast and 200m zone to the side of the blast. Considering the location of this proposed development, there is the possibility that the area would have to be evacuated for safety during blasting. When evacuation is not required, residents can expect to feel vibration and airblast from the blasting due to the saturated nature of the ground surrounding the bow river.