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According to a CanPacific fact sheet, the mine will be located on a potash lease of about 50,000 hectares that is 84 per cent cultivated and 16 per cent mixed use, including grassland, wetland and riparian ecosystems, as well as rail and roadways. The mine will cover 1,175 hectares.

While the group was originally asking to ministry to consider moving the project to cultivated land, new concerns raised by members of the public about water use led it to resubmit its letter. The group is now asking that the project be refused outright.

“These potash mines extract water and then it doesn’t get put back into the water cycle,” Herriot said.

“We’re concerned that too much water will be lost, and with the Qu’Appelle watershed in particular. We can’t afford to lose that.”

The Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society Saskatchewan Chapter (CPAWS-SK) is among the groups that have sent letters to the Ministry based on PPPI’s call to action.

CPAWS-SKmanager of operations and programs Stewart Coles said that while wetlands only represent two per cent of the study area, they group is concerned about the impact that its loss could have.

“They kind of identify (in the assessment) that there’s going to be a significant impact by the very nature of removing wetland and potentially fragmenting grassland habitat,” Coles said. “So we’re not against economic development in the province. But where its impact certainly puts critical habitat at risk, there should be alternatives considered by the province for this mine.”