FILLMORE : Company to Revise Gravel Mining Plan

The Southern Pacific Milling Co. has asked Ventura County to halt the environmental review of a proposed gravel mining operation near Fillmore, saying it plans to significantly change the proposal.

Bill Berger, general manager of S.P. Milling, said on Wednesday that the company will submit a revised plan to mine a 502-acre site along Boulder Creek within six months.

The company’s original plan to extract 40 million tons of sand and gravel over 30 years was opposed by area ranchers, who said the dust would interfere with farming.

The city of Fillmore and a group called Stop Mining in Rural Fillmore filed a lawsuit against the state Mining and Geology Board after the state body granted a request by S.P. Milling to designate the Boulder Creek site a significant mining resource area. The suit is still pending.

Berger, who took over the reins of S.P. Milling after the original plan was submitted, said he decided to submit a new proposal after reviewing the company’s long-range plans in Ventura County.

The company still plans to mine the site, now a citrus orchard, in 50-acre increments, and restore each section to citrus farming as operations wind down, Berger said.

Citing the physical constraints of the site, Berger said the company may reduce the number of acres it will mine, and is considering alternative ways to reroute Boulder Creek than the catch basin and canal that were originally proposed.

He said the company also may not lower the elevation of Sycamore Road that traverses the property as it initially suggested.