Rehabilitation Standards

While the Operational Standards contained in the Aggregate Resources of Ontario Provincial Standards set out minimum rehabilitation requirements, it may be appropriate to enhance or vary these requirements on a site-specific basis to achieve higher quality rehabilitation to meet objectives such as:

• restoration to former use or condition;
• compatibility with surrounding land uses, including aesthetics;
• agricultural productivity/soil capability;
• encouraging biodiversity;
• meeting the requirements of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan; and
• meeting the requirements of the Greenbelt Plan

The primary objective in rehabilitating land is found in the legal definition – to restore the land to its former (or compatible) use or condition. Unless bound by other rehabilitation requirements (e.g. prime agricultural land being returned to agricultural use), the applicant may be required to have regard for biodiversity values in the development of the rehabilitation plans for the site. Consideration should also be given to the aesthetic suitability of the rehabilitation, as well as the compatibility with the surrounding landscape.

The Niagara Escarpment Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Greenbelt Plan have additional rehabilitation requirements for aggregate operations. Municipal official plans may also guide rehabilitation towards certain after-uses.

There are many factors that affect rehabilitation requirements for pits and quarries throughout the province (e.g. quality and quantity of topsoil present, climate, pits vs. quarries and intended after-use). Because of this diversity, the Provincial Standards impose minimum rehabilitation standards which can be applied to most pits and quarries. These rehabilitation standards may be changed or enhanced on a site-by-site basis using the site plan as the means of implementation. The Operational Standards for licences, wayside permits and aggregate permits outline minimum sloping requirements of 3:1 for pits and 2:1 for quarries. However, diversity, variability and creativity in landscape design should be encouraged.

For example:

• extraction below the water table with proposed rehabilitation to include fish habitat should require spawning, rearing and feeding zones which cannot be accomplished by simply requiring 3:1 sloping;
• pit slopes that are more gentle than 3:1 should be encouraged when rehabilitating a site to an agricultural use, recreational use or forestry use; or
• in some situations it may be appropriate to retain partial sheer quarry walls with talus slopes or a series of benches as part of the rehabilitation plan, rather than requiring 2:1 slopes, in order to create a more natural escarpment topography and encourage greater plant and animal diversity.