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Article – Quarry |
Reprinted courtesy of West County Gazette, June 2004 Reality Check Canyon Rock Quarry EIR by Vesta Copestakes, Editor, West County Gazette It’s getting hot in Forestville around the Canyon Rock and Blue Rock/BoDean quarry expansion plans, so before it erupts into a full-blown fire, I thought I’d sprinkle a little water on the subject with what I consider a reality check. This is a long article because it’s a big and important subject – take your time. Canyon Rock’s EIR is the first to come out and involves their plans to choose between mining on the West of their property or the North. Some time within the next seven to ten years, they are likely to run out of material above level ground within the current permitted territory. This expansion will allow them to continue another 20 years into the hills rather than dig deep. No matter what, they are currently permitted to mine up to 500,000 cubic yards of rock a year and have vested rights to do so well into the future. They currently mine approximately 375,000. Blue Rock is currently permitted to mine 115,00 cubic yards a year and is asking to increase their production levels as well as expand West. When their EIR gets published, we’ll go through this all over again. The need for both quarries to expand their land use is that they are both running out of material within their permitted area. These expansions will keep them viable into the future without digging down. A lot of the arguments are about whether Forestvillians want the quarries to keep operating beyond their current time limits. Canyon Rock has been operating since the early 40s. The Trappe family has owned it since the seventies. Their vested rights allow them to continue on their current permitted land well into the future. There has been much growth in Forestville over the years and the construction and maintenance of that growth has required quarry products – and will continue to require aggregate products into the future. If the rock doesn’t come from Forestville, it has to come from somewhere else. These two quarries supply rock to a 10 to 15 mile radius around Forestville. The more growth, the more need for rock. Every road we drive on is made of gravel. Rural communities rely on gravel driveways and drain rock for septic. Every vineyard uses drain rock. When you are driving around, just look at all the rock products from gravel to concrete that are used in our daily lives and it will give you an idea of how necessary rock products are to our existence. As we protect our river by denying river gravel mining, we look to our hills as a resource. Statistics say that the price of rock doubles for every 30 miles it travels. What impact will that have on road maintenance (county budget), construction costs (housing prices), etc. if our local quarries shut down and we import our aggregate from elsewhere? I know in my landscaping business alone it would mean a minimum of an hour or so more for each load of rock I purchase for the rock gardens and paths and patios I create for my clients. Time is money. Additional miles are additional cost. Sonoma County is making decisions on five quarry permits right now. As the county continues to grow, so does the need for aggregate. What the EIR Says… I’ve been in possession of the Canyon Rock EIR for a full month now and spent a good deal of time reading it in detail and talking with others. There are copies of it at all the local libraries and Fleurish Gallery in downtown Forestville for anyone who wants to read it. And it’s on the Internet at www.sonoma-county.org/prmd – Project#PLP97-0046. There will be copies at the town meeting on June 19th. I’ve been to the first hearing, which was on whether the EIR is adequate, not whether the plan is acceptable. The Forestville Planning Association (FPA) is hosting atown meeting on June 19th where people who haven’t read the EIR can get more information with which to decide how they perceive this project. This reality check is because I’m getting a little upset over the comments that take parts of the EIR and leave out other parts that apply to the same subject in order to manipulate people’s opinions. One newspaper even took FPA chairman Joan Riback’s comments at the June 3rd hearing out of context which made her sound like the FPA has taken a negative stand on the quarry issue. The FPA has carefully stayed central because the whole purpose of the organization is to educate people on subjects and let them make their own decisions. Yes, there are members of the FPA who are definitely against anything quarry, but that’s different from the organization taking a stand. It’s this negative approach to the subject that I find objectionable because it’s hard for people to make a decision based on inaccurate information and distortions. The Traffic Studies: Trucks rumbling through town. Most people simply aren’t in downtown weekdays when the mines are operating. For those concerned that all these trucks are going through downtown – it’s approximately a 65/35 split with 65% going down Mirabel Road. (See page IV.A-5) Nothing is said in the EIR about the other months of the year, and if anything, I think that needs to be clarified. Peak production is in October when roads are being prepared for winter. “Review of production data from both the Canyon and Blue Rock quarries indicated that Wednesdays are most frequently the peak activity weekday, and that at current production levels for the Canyon Rock Quarry, the peak production month is October. Therefore, vehicle turning movement counts were conducted on Wednesday and Saturday in October 2001 (and October 2002) at the four study intersections.” (116 at Covey/Mirabel/Canyon Rock entrance and River at Mirabel) Page IV.A-5 Truck traffic increases in the future are dependent on how much rock products are needed for maintenance and development. With all the new development going on, even in downtown Forestville, there will be more trucks as the quarries gear up to meet the need. If both quarries get permitted to run at full production (including Blue Rock’s expansion of production permits) there will be many more trucks. Page IV.A-17 states “Predicting the number of inbound and outbound trucks likely to be produced by the Canyon Rock Quarry during any given hour of a peak weekday and Saturday in the peak month of quarry activity was a four-stage process, as shown on Table IV.A-6.” This whole section of the EIR covers every detail of road changes and truck traffic and if this is your main concern – read it in detail. All figures in the chart are based on current Canyon Rock production (375,000 cubic yards) and projected production at maximum levels (500,000 cubic yards) at peak October levels (worst care scenario). Peak October, Wednesday truck loads are currently at 224 trucks; at maximum production that would increase by 88 trucks to 312 trucks. In a year that translates to Current 31,690 truck loads (in and outbound), increasing to maximum production by 12,324 loads to 44,014 loads. Traffic lights and road widening. The traffic study is cumulative, meaning that it is considering the changes necessary to accommodate not only Canyon, but Blue Rock AND the Crinella Center, Burbank Housing, Empire Storage, Woodstone Commons, the West County Trail AND the natural growth of the area. ALL impending development changes in Forestville will increase traffic and create the need for intersection management and widening of roads. They are ALL included in the traffic analysis. As it says in the EIR, “Year 2021 area-wide growth in traffic volumes were developed using growth rates projected for Forestville by Sonoma County PRMD (Permit Resources Management Development) and for the Russian River corridor in a recently completed redevelopment plan for an area extending from Rio Nido to Monte Rio (Sonoma County, 2000). Because traffic on Highway 116, Mirabel Road and River Road in Forestville consists of both local and through traffic, separate growth rates were determined for each component of traffic. Overall, local area traffic was projected to grow 40% by 2021 (i.e. at a straight [non-compounding] rate of two percent per year), while maximum growth along the Russian River is expected to increase by 40 to 65 percent, depending upon the day and peak-hour under consideration.” And for those fearful that it’s the expansions of the quarries that are creating a need for traffic lights… “Traffic volumes at the intersections of Highway 116/Covey-Forestville, Highway 116/Mirabel Road, River Road/Mirabel Road intersection currently satisfy the Peak-Hour Volume Signal Warrant during weekday and Saturday peak hours.” (Page IV.A-30 for each intersection) And for those fearful of a light at Covey/116 , “If the county determines that a bypass road will be constructed and that a signal at this intersection will not be needed, this mitigation measure will not be required to mitigate an impact on this project.” And the widening of Mirabel Road is planned to accommodate the West County Trail that will run all the way to Steelhead Beach. Cost of improvements and road maintenance: People complain that the cost of maintaining and improving our roads needs to be paid for in some measure by the quarries… “The quarry operator shell enter into an agreement with the County for payment of the quarry’s fair share of the total estimated cost of the improvements. The calculation of fair share shall consider that large trucks used to haul rock have an effect on level of service that is approximately three times that of automobiles or small trucks. If deemed acceptable by the county, the project sponsor may contribute an equal value of material or labor toward construction of the intersection improvements in lieu of cash.” And “None of the intersection improvements are funded or planned to be in place by 2007.” Truck Accidents: Page IV.A-13 has the truck accidents and there was one in 1998 and one in 2000. The report doesn’t specify if these were gravel trucks and one person at the hearing mentioned that one of these was a grape truck that fell over by Forestville school. I remember something about the driver being unlicensed. Ground water impacts: Canyon Rock uses city water for the vast majority of their water use because the groundwater contains too much iron that clogs up valves and sprayers and stains equipment. (See page IV.D-25) Natural springs on the property are directed into their sediment ponds, as is winter run-off, and they use that water for dust abatement. Canyon Rock is currently draining one of their sediment ponds in order to make it deeper. This has to be done periodically as it collects sediment from water run-off during winter rains. There are requirements listed in Mitigation Measure IV.D-4d of the EIR that Canyon abides by. Groundwater impacts from removal of soil are covered in Impact IV.D.6 and 7 and include the impacts from Blue Rock across the street. Interestingly (on page IV.D-30)… “The project site does not overlie a regional groundwater aquifer. The Franciscan Formation, which underlies most of the project site, is not considered a reliable or laterally extensive groundwater producing formation. The relative minor amount of groundwater that occurs in the vicinity of the site is in shallow alluvial sands and gravels along drainages. These shallow water-bearing zones are largely isolated from the deeper, regional water supply aquifers.” Green Valley Creek sediment: Canyon Rock fronts about 1/8 of a mile of Green Valley Creek. Over the last decade, they built a large berm and planted trees that are irrigated. They are now in the process of increasing both the height and the depth of that berm for additional protection. This section of the creek holds water in deep pools throughout the year. Nay sayers about Canyon’s contributions to creek sediment should go by and take a look at the section that fronts the quarry then drive further down Martinelli Road to see the acres and acres of vineyards along the creek. Blue Rock contributions will be in their EIR and at least some information can be gleaned from page IV.D-29 of the Canyon Rock EIR. Ultimately… “The identified project mitigation identifies and addresses the impacts related to long term groundwater level decline and provides mitigation to reduce the impact, and therefore ensures that the cumulative contribution of the proposed project remains less than significant.” Noise = unwanted sound: This is where it’s difficult to separate the two quarries since they are across the street from each other. Trucks, rock-breaking and sorting equipment and earth movers make the majority of the noise, which is contained in the quarry area. Canyon rarely blasts to get at rock because they have especially large earthmovers capable of digging into the hills sufficiently for their needs. Blue Rock has smaller equipment and requires frequent blasting. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, you would not be able to differentiate which quarry was blasting. If anything, Canyon’s expanding to the North instead of the West would pull most noise further from Hwy 116. “Due to distance, more off-site sensitive receptors (neighbors on 116) potentially exposed to on-site mobile equipment noise under the Western expansions option than the Northern Expansion option.” (Page II-3) Noisy trucks going through town are another issue entirely (35% through downtown, 65% down Mirabel Rd.) and are what people are most concerned with. Air quality can be improved with more efficient trucks and emissions filters, but trucks rattle and roll in a noisy way and there’s no way around that one. Air Quality and Diesel Emissions: This gets touchy, especially since diesel is visible and it smells and has been known to cause asthma and other health problems. Gas fuel emissions are also toxic, but we can’t see or smell them. But how do we separate out the gravel trucks from the trash trucks and the delivery trucks and the diesel pick-ups and sedans? We don’t. So we look at the gravel trucks, which are easy to identify. In the case of Canyon Rock, unless development in the surrounding area increases significantly, truck traffic will remain as it is now. (They have yet to mine to their capacity.) If development increases, so does the number of trucks. Our question is - for how long? “Sensitive receptors” were considered in the EIR. Children and the elderly and sick are the most sensitive people. Trucks pass Forestville Elementary (35% of the total), Mirabel Lodge, which is a home for the elderly infirm and Forestville Youth Park (65%) on Mirabel Road. What’s confusing here is that on page IV.A-5 the EIR defines the 65/35 split, but on IV.B-20 they state “Approximately 40 percent of the material produced in the quarry goes toward Santa Rosa and northerly markets (that would be Mirabel Road), 50 heads toward southerly markets (that would be 116 unless they get there via 101 and take River to get there) and about 10 percent is used by westerly markets. (I would assume out Pocket Canyon, although they could go down Mirabel to River and west that way which would be an easier drive!)” Well, I guess it all depends on which way the trucks take. Air quality was measured at the quarry itself (for dust, etc.) and at the Forestville Fire Station which is pretty close to the Mirabel/116 intersection. Many people feel that this is where the EIR falls short. It would be more accurate to measure right at the level of the sensitive receptors than above them since diesel is considered particulate and therefore settles. The same equipment used on-site, at the quarry – could be used to measure emissions in front of Mirabel Lodge, the Youth Park and the elementary school. In terms of this EIR, the measurements at the quarry matter mostly to the quarry itself. The closest neighbor is the Trappe home (Canyon belongs to them) and except for two houses west on Pocket Canyon, everyone else is not within visible distance from the quarry (the house on the corner of Martinelli and 116 belongs to Canyon). “As described in the Setting of this section, Canon Rock Quarry currently employs numerous control measures to reduce dust and exhaust emissions, including paving of the main quarry entrance and in the vicinity of the office; the use of tire scrapers near the quarry exit; use of water trucks to dampen unpaved circulation areas; use of water misters for many of the quarry’s deck screens and conveyors, and use of diluted chemical dust suppressant in the quarry’s crusher while it is operating. The quarry has recently purchased seven new haul trucks (for on-site) built with electronically controlled engines subject to more stringent emission standards for improved exhaust emissions and efficiency compared to the replacement equipment. I addition, under the quarry’s existing reclamation plan, annual hydro-seeding would continue to be applied to slopes with in the existing vested rights and permitted mining areas for erosion control and dust control.” Page IV.B-19 In the Environmental Checklist at the back of the EIR, Section 3 on Air Quality shows a chart that marks as Less than or no impact “a) Conflict with or obstruct implementation of the applicable air quality plan; b) Violate any air quality standard or contribute substantially to an existing or projected air quality violation; c) Result in cumulative considerable net in crease criteria pollutant for which the project region is under an applicable federal or state ambient air quality standard (including releasing emissions which exceed quantitative thresholds or ozone precursors); d) Expose sensitive receptors to substandard pollutant concentrations and e) Create objectionable odors affecting a substantial number of people. Whew! Aesthetics play a part if you drive toward Guerneville on 116. You can see the quarries from the road. Both quarries have build berms along the road, but you can still see through the gates and up into the hills. There’s no way around this one and that’s pretty much what it states in the EIR. (Section V.E) Each quarry has reclamation plans and they use the top soil they pull off the hill and store to re-grade and plant the hills as they move off an area. But it takes time to heal the hills after the rock is removed and it’s simply a fact of gravel mining. In no way will California law allow any mine to simply leave an area un-restored like they used to decades ago. Our environmental laws protect us from that ever happening again. Quality of Life was not part of the EIR and who knows how anyone can measure that one! But it keeps coming up among opponents to the quarry. As some say, “I’d rather pay more money for rock products from somewhere else than have quarries here in Forestville.” Well, that’s all very fine for people with money, but the cost doesn’t get spread out evenly when it comes to road maintenance or decreased school funding because families with children can’t afford homes here as the cost of construction and improvement increases with materials cost. In my mind, that’s unrealistic for middle and lower income families. This report is HUGE and I encourage people to take the time to read as much of it as they can and write your opinions to PRMD by June 25th. (see address below) Attend the FPA town meeting on June 19, 10am at the Odd Fellows Hall in downtown Forestville, attend the next series of hearings and get to know the full story. And not just for Canyon Rock but also for when the Blue Rock EIR comes out. It’s a complex and important part of life in this planet to be informed. Take a look around you and see the rock products that make up our roads, our homes, so many aspects of our lives. Each person uses 6 tons of aggregate per year for maintenance alone. (www.mii@mii.org) If it doesn’t come from our back yard, whose back yard do you want it to come from to take care of your own. I, for one and I know I’m not alone, am supportive of Canyon Rock expanding to the North part of their property to keep supplying rock products to our community at affordable rates where we can keep tabs on how mining this product impacts the planet’s environment. California environmental laws are the most stringent in the world. I want my rock coming from a place that cares about the entire planet, not just my back yard… but my back yard as well. I want to know that Sonoma County will stop gravel mining from the Russian River and all the negative impacts that has on our groundwater supply as well as the health of our river. I choose the North section of land because it takes the operation farther away from 116 and gives Canyon the greatest ability to mine environmentally. With all the loud voices of quarry opponents, it’s time for quarry supporters to be counted as well. Opponents and supporters need to write to the county with their opinions. At this point what you are deciding is whether Canyon Rock gets to continue mining above ground for the next twenty years and whether you think the western or the northern land is the best choice. Reference DEIR SCH#2000072063 Canyon Rock Quarry Expansion Project Write to: Mike Sotak PRMD 2550 Ventura Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 95403 He can also be reached at 565-1931 and e-mailed at: mstoak@sonoma-county.org To view the EIR on the internet, go to: www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/EIR/CanyonRockDEIR/index.htm Please address your comments to: Vesta Copestakes. Back to Top Back to Issues & Updates Page |