Aberfoyle has long been known for its water, the clear spring water that has been bottled for a long time in the community. The subject is a political and controversial one, and gets a lot of press.
But while water and agriculture are central to the life of this area south of Guelph and along Canada’s busiest highway, it is mining that is king here, specifically the extraction of aggregates — stone, sand, gravel.
Just as the logging truck dominates forestry country in the north, gravel trucks rule the side roads in Puslinch Township. The gravel they haul is carted off in all directions, supporting road construction and maintenance, residential and industrial development, and a manufacture of numerous building products.
Construction sand and gravel is used to make concrete, in the mixing of asphalt, as construction fill material, and in the making of concrete blocks, bricks, and pipes. It is utilized in water filtration, takes the slick off icy roads, builds up parking lots and driveways.
The Aberfoyle area is rich in glacial deposits of sand and gravel, and everywhere you drive around the area you will encounter massive aggregate operations churning out the material.
And you will find decommissioned pits, some turned into residential developments dotted with little lakes, and at least one turned into a breeding pond for fish.
