New Bourke sand and gravel quarry unlikely
Bourke Shire Council is investigating the possibility of operating a sand and gravel quarry to supply products to the local community.
“Council asked senior staff to prepare a report on the costs of developing a quarry for supply of sand and gravel to the public,” Bourke Shire Council General Manager, Leonie Brown said.
“Currently, our gravel pits are only used for council jobs and road works.”
The Boral Quarry at Byrock is located 90 km from Bourke at the southern end of the Bourke Shire and is not considered to be close enough for community use.
It is a basalt quarry which means that the product can be used for bitumen sealing aggregate which has a very high specification requirement. As all bitumen roads need to be resealed regularly there is ongoing demand for this product.
While looking at the possibility of providing a local resource to supply materials like this for public use, issues to be addressed included the commercial viability of the operation.
In a report to Council’s June meeting, Roads Manager Paul Flanagan said it is unknown whether there would be another basalt source within the Shire.
He advised that Council’s existing pits seem to have mud rock and sandstone which are not considered to be hard enough for sealing aggregate.
“We are developing a costing for council to determine what it would cost to develop a quarry,” Mrs Brown said.
Mrs Brown said the extensive and expensive application and approval process and any financial and practical impost on Council’s current operations needs serious consideration.[…]
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