The battle lines are being firmed up in an effort to try and stop a massive quarry proposal from going ahead north of Shelburne in Melancthon Township.
The North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Task force has been marshalling its forces for more than a year trying to head off the proposed quarry which would be located at the headwaters of the Nottawasaga and Grand Rivers.
Task force spokesperson Nancy Malek says in addition to the water concerns, the quarry would be located on some of the best agricultural land in Southern Ontario known as Honneywood Loam.
Malek says the quarry proponent, the Highland Group of Companies already has acquired 8 thousand acres of prime potato farmland over the past 3 to 4 years.
She says the company has already begun to prepare the land for quarry development, cutting down forests and razing historic farm proprieties in anticipation of their application being approved.
Malek says the company has not yet filed an application for the quarry, but they believe it will be coming in the very near future.
She understands the company wants to excavate limestone to a depth of 200 feet on 26 hundred acres of farmland which is equal to a 3 kilometre square hole in the ground.
Malek says the Task force continues its efforts to rally the public against this quarry, and she predicts that this will be come a hot election issue during this Octobers municipal vote and next years Provincial election.