Q&A
Will this change the footprint size of the mine/depth of pit?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:33 PMNo, this will not change to footprint or the depth of the quarry. The only operational change that will result as part of selling anhydrite is a very minor increase in trucking. Note that the assumption of an increase of 8% in trucking is at the very high end. HRH anticipates that it would be a slow ramp up to that amount throughout the life of the quarry if it every gets there. For example, the only opportunity identified in 2021 represents a less than 1% increase in trucking.
What are the actual elements included under the label “low-grade gypsum”? Is this mixture of top-level material toxic?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:32 PMMaterial produced at the Upham East Gypsum Quarry that is not suitable to produce wallboard is typically a result of impurities being present such as clay, silt and or anhydrite. Chemically, gypsum (CaSO4•2H2O) is simply the hydrated calcium sulphate mineral form of anhydrite (CaSO4). Over hundreds of years gypsum has been hydrated (exposed to water)while anhydrite has not been exposed to the same water and remains in the “anhydrite” form. Physical characteristics of anhydrite vary slightly from gypsum in that it is harder and denser and is therefore not suitable for wallboard production. These calcium Sulphate minerals are used globally in many products including soil amendments, toothpastes, pharmaceuticals and others..
Will there be a royalty rate imposed on the low-grade gypsum?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:32 PMYes, HRH is required to pay a royalty of $0.25/MT.
Will the low-grade gypsum be crushed on-site? Will this increase dust?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:31 PMNo crushing of any kind will be required for the low-grade gypsum as it will be transported off site as shot rock.
How are the residents and community being compensated with this increased use of local roads, increased dust etc.
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:31 PMLike gypsum, HRH is required to pay a royalty to the province for low-grade products and like any other business paying applicable provincial taxes.
How was this low-grade gypsum supposed to be addressed in the original EIA? If HRH were not to pursue use of the low-grade gypsum, would it then become backfill at the end of project life? What was the original plan to address this low-grade gypsum?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:30 PMLow-grade gypsum has been, and will continue to be, used to construct and maintain site infrastructure. Any excess material is to be treated like other overburden on site, either stockpiled outside the quarry footprint or left on the quarry floor. This was always the plan in the original EIA but other opportunities have arise for the product that were not originally identified. The additional change to the actual operation is so minor that HRH has decided to explore a good end use for this low-grade gypsum.
Is there an unexpected increased amount of low-grade gypsum that is difficult to accommodate on-site?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:29 PMThere has been no increase in low-grade gypsum from original estimates encountered to date. In fact, all low-grade material has been used to construct and maintain site infrastructure such as roads and ditches. With a lot of the initial site infrastructure now complete, HRH can either stockpile the material on site or find a use for it within the local business environment.
Have alternatives been discussed or explored on alternative methods to transport the low-grade gypsum, without increasing truck traffic (ie: decreasing daily transport of high-grade to allow transport of low-grade, as in 6 trucks/hour transporting high-grade, 2 trucks/hour transporting low-grade= still 8 trucks/hour; or extending project life by 1 year, in which no other operations are occurring, simply removal and transport of the low-grade stockpile at the same current trucking rate)?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:28 PMRock demand is dictated by customers for high- and low-grade products, this demand fluctuates by both season and market demand. For this reason, when we discuss trucking volume we quote annual averages for the annual peak expected production to provide for a conservative estimate. For example, our estimated number of loads per day of gypsum is 40. However, since the quarry started producing gypsum the average number of loads trucked per days of active trucking has only been 37. HRH is constantly striking a balance between multiple factors including customer requirements, mitigating the impact to the community, weather, spring weight restrictions, product availability and trucking capacity. These factors require the actual number of trucks that haul each day to fluctuate throughout the year.
If overnight trucking is not part of these changes, and as a result of recent community outcry against the overnight trucking that recently occurred, would it be possible for HRH to make an additional application for changes in the EIA to state that no overnight trucking will occur, and trucking operations will remain in the same timeframe as quarry operations? This would be an excellent good-faith gesture to the community.
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:28 PMWhile HRH can commit that low grade/off spec product will not be hauled at night the same commitment cannot be made for wallboard quality gypsum. HRH strives to strike a balance between reducing impacts to the local community wherever possible, such as noise and mitigating damage to local roads, while also maintaining a consistent supply to our customer.
Operational hours only apply to quarrying- it does not extend to trucking operations- currently, there are no Conditions or elements in the EIA that restrict night-time trucking. Will this change in project result in this additional low-quality gypsum being trucked overnight?
Date Posted: April 14, 2021 1:27 PMWith demand for this product being much lower and less pressing than wallboard quality gypsum it will not be necessary to transport at night.