Aggregates 101
Summit Materials is a vertically integrated construction materials company and the first step of this integration is aggregates production. Summit Materials has both granite and limestone quarries across the United States and British Columbia, which supply internal and external customers with high quality aggregates from sand for baseball fields, to road base, to aggregates incorporated into asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. The type of material mined determines the operational characteristics of the site, from blasting parameters, to the types of equipment used and the elimination of dust. Here, Mainland blasts almost twice a week, uses water trucks for dust mitigation, and the resulting materials that are necessary for infrastructure improvement in Vancouver are shipped via barge on the Fraser River. Each quarry is unique based on its geography, local geology, size, and equipment utilized. The Cox Quarry shown above, is Summit’s largest quarry, processing about 3.5 million tons of aggregates per year.
Site Selection, Planning, and the Environment
Site selection is based on the combination of delivering the most economical product to society while minimizing any impacts to citizens and the environment. Our economy requires infrastructure and infrastructure requires aggregates. Summit provides society with these essential products, while being responsible stewards of our communities and our environment. Please see our sustainability section for a detailed overview of our commitment to sustainability.