How long does the average pit or quarry stay open?
• Pits and quarries are, by nature, self-consuming. Once a quarry’s stone, sand and gravel have been fully extracted it’s no longer necessary to keep it open. Sites can stay open for 35 years or more but many are depleted within 5 years. It all depends on how abundant the resource is and the rate at which the aggregate is extracted. Unlike most other industrial uses, the sand and gravel operation is a temporary use that is not only making an important contribution to the economy but is simultaneously in the process of developing lands (and waters) for other uses. These uses can be anything from parks with fish and wildlife habitat to new residential subdivisions.
