U.S. Agency OKs Santa Clarita Gravel Mining

A controversial gravel mining project in the Santa Clarita Valley received federal approval Wednesday after a decade-long battle.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management certified the project, allowing Azusa-based Transit Mixed Concrete Co. to extract 78 million tons of sand and gravel from a 460-acre former quarry near Soledad Canyon and Agua Dulce Canyon roads.

The project still needs county and state approval before work can begin.

Given the booming real estate market in Southern California, the state Department of Mines and Geology estimates that sand and gravel reserves in San Fernando Valley will run out by next year and in the rest of Los Angeles County by 2016.

Santa Clarita residents have their own concerns. They worry that the proposed plant will pose health risks.

“This isn’t going to be a desirable or a healthy place to live if this project goes forward,” said Diane Terito, president of the Agua Dulce Town Council. “We have invested in this area and now our government is going to allow a company to come in and pollute it.”

The Transit Mixed Concrete Co. had difficulty convincing the county’s Regional Planning Department that the project was environmentally sound. The board denied the company a surface mining permit in December. Transit and its parent company--Houston-based Southdown Inc.--have appealed the decision to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

“Stringent environmental controls have been placed on this project,” said company spokesman Brian Mastin.

Although the project has been endorsed by several business organizations, including the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., the plan has met with strong resistance from neighbors.

Opponents have enlisted the support of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich and U.S. Rep. Howard P. McKeon (R-Santa Clarita).

“The community is united in their opposition and the supervisor joins them in their efforts,” said Millie Jones, an Antonovich deputy. “We are disappointed the BLM made its decision before the board could take action.”

The county and state would oversee the project and issue all the necessary permits, bureau spokesman Doran Sanchez said. Mining would take place over 20 years.

About 56 million tons of sand and gravel is expected to be sold to private firms and public agencies. An additional 22 million tons, too fine for construction, will be returned to the site for revegetation, Mastin said.

The primary destination for the building supplies would be the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.

After reviewing the proposal for almost a year, the federal agency scaled back the company’s project. The revamped plan, for example, requires a conveyor belt system, instead of trucks, to move materials, as a way of reducing air emissions.

The quarry was once used for excavation but has been dormant for many years, Mastin said. But now that there are about 3,000 homes occupied or under construction within a 2-mile radius, residents are afraid the project will contaminate the ground water and pollute the air.

“I’m not against the type of work but do you have to do it so close to housing?” asked Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy. “We don’t think the applicants and BLM have fully addressed the air quality issues.”