Title
Moratorium on New Mineral Extraction Operations.
Body
In light of a recent proposal to site a quarry near Forest Lake, and recognizing the increasingly apparent cumulative effects of growth over the last few decades, the Council will discuss whether to consider imposing a moratorium on new mineral extraction operations in Windham to allow time to review the town’s regulations and whether, where, and under what conditions such operations should be allowed.
Currently, Windham’s Land Use Ordinance allows mineral extraction as a permitted or conditional use in every district except Commercial-2 (C-2), Commercial-3 (C-3), and Village Commercial (VC). The Shoreland Zoning Ordinance only allows mineral extraction in Resource Protection (RP), Limited Residential (LR), and General Development (GD) with Planning Board approval. A copy of the town’s zoning map is attached. Also attached are maps from the Maine Geological Survey, part of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry showing significant sand and gravel aquifers in the Cumberland and North Windham areas. What these maps do not depict are other aquifers made up of water-bearing fractured bedrock formations.