FILLMORE : 200 Attend Forum on Gravel Mine Plan

Southern Pacific Milling Co.’s proposal to open a 500-acre mining facility west of Fillmore drew 200 residents to a recent public hearing.

Many in the crowd Wednesday said they feared the gravel and asphalt operations would benefit developed areas at the expense of Fillmore farmers.

“Why should we strip-mine our hills so the west county can benefit?” rancher Clark Johnson said. “Maybe if they have to import sand and gravel, they’ll use less of it.”

The milling company proposes mining for sand and gravel along Boulder Creek north of Sycamore Road. Permanent asphalt and concrete plants would be built on four acres south of the road. The mining, which would take place over 30 years, would have to be approved by the County Board of Supervisors after an environmental review is done.

Company spokesman Bret Braden told the crowd that the company proposed the operations for Boulder Creek rather than the Santa Clara River because riverbed mining threatens endangered species and prevents sand from replenishing beaches.

Braden asked the crowd to “understand the mineral needs of the county” when weighing the benefits and potential problems of the projects.

He said Ventura County uses about 6 million tons of sand and gravel annually and that importing the material increases costs about 60%.

But many residents argued that the operation would be heavy industry that should not be permitted in an agricultural area. Others said that dry conditions and Santa Ana winds would defeat dust-control efforts, resulting in crop damage and hampering the work of beneficial insects that protect local citrus groves from pests.

Comments opposing the project were punctuated by applause throughout the meeting.

Jess Cook said he grew up near the milling company’s El Rio operation. “I’m alive, but the trees I planted aren’t. The area is basically blighted.”

Members of the Valley Advisory Committee, which hosted the meeting, said the company would mine the area in 50-acre sections, each one the equivalent of 45 football fields. Heavy trucks would make an estimated 512 round-trips a day.