Mining Project for Sand, Gravel Gets Federal OK

After a contentious, decade-long battle, a controversial mining project has received federal approval for a large-scale production facility in the Santa Clarita Valley.

In a decision issued Wednesday, the federal Bureau of Land Management certified the project that would allow Azusa-based Transit Mixed Concrete Co. to extract 78 million tons of sand and gravel from a 460-acre site near Soledad and Agua Dulce canyon roads.

The bureau’s decision can be appealed within 30 days, and the project would still need county and state approval before work could begin.

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

Santa Clarita Valley residents have their own concerns, worrying that the proposed plant would not only adversely affect their quality of life but pose health risks as well.

“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., in previous hearings, 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 Mixed Concrete 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. “This project is the best option that will have limited impact on residents while providing the best solution for the area’s needs.”

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

Many in the Santa Clarita Valley who oppose the project have enlisted the support of their representatives, county Supervisor Mike Antonovich and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” 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 [of Supervisors] could take action.”

Mining would take place over a 20-year period under government guidelines.

The county and state would oversee the project and issue all the necessary permits, BLM spokesman Doran Sanchez said.

About 56 million tons of sand and gravel would be sold to private and public agencies for various construction projects. Another 22 million tons, material judged too fine for construction purposes, would be returned to the site, Mastin said.

The primary destination for the supplies would be the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, where increased housing demands and a shortage of materials have raised the cost of projects in recent months, Mastin said.

Regardless of the project’s future, he added, the industry is currently stretched to its production capacity.

“The day of a materials shortage is growing closer every year,” he said. “The industry is going to be in trouble over the next 10 years unless something is done.”

After reviewing the proposal for almost a year, the federal agency scaled back the company’s project before issuing its approval, Sanchez said. The revamped plan requires a conveyor belt system instead of letting trucks move the materials, in an effort to reduce air emissions. The site’s ridgeline elevation was also decreased.

The quarry was once used for excavation but has been unused for many years, Mastin said. Now, however, there are about 3,000 homes occupied or under construction within a two-mile radius, and residents are fearful 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.”

Darcy expects a coalition of homeowners and civic leaders, which will be formed over the next several months, may file a lawsuit to stop the project.

“It may go as far as litigation,” she said. “There are plenty of people who are against this project.”