San Rafael Rock Quarry

Committee Objectives

What's At Stake
Presently, the operations of the San Rafael Rock Quarry are governed by a 1972 use permit that was approved by the County of Marin without any significant assessment of the impact on the environment, surrounding property owners or community. Twenty-eight years later, County planners agreed that the 1972 use permit is woefully outdated and inadequate - especially when compared with provisions contained in most modern mining and quarry use permits. Recently, the owner of the San Rafael Rock Quarry, Bill Dutra, stated his intention to continue mining at the quarry site for at least another 30 years and to deepen the current pit to more than 600 feet below sea level. If he implements his plans without restrictions, the hills, protective berms and property of the quarry will change dramatically. Furthermore, homeowners, home values and the infrastructure along the Point San Pedro Peninsula will continue to suffer. We must ensure that significant restrictions are imposed and enforced on the operations of the quarry.

Our Goals & Objectives
The Coalition has called upon the County to conduct a comprehensive reassessment of the operations of the San Rafael Rock Quarry and its tenants (including the McNears Brickyard and the Marin Aggregate site). This reassessment should identify the negative impacts on the community and the environment, and should result in the imposition of operating and other restrictions on the quarry and its tenants. Here are the major goals and objectives of our efforts.

Get the County to conduct a proper public reassessment of the Quarry's Use Permit, Surface Mining Permit and zoning including:

• Conducting a thorough Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") of the quarry's operations and mining activities and require mitigations to reduce and/or eliminate the negative impacts that are found;
• Forcing the quarry to disclose the true nature and scope of its operations and its plans for the strip-mining of its property, including the South Hill;
• Resolving the non-conforming use issues (the Quarry is zoned "residential") brought about by the quarry's excessive and projected long term operations;
• Requiring an update of the quarry's 1982 mining permit and adherence to a timetable for reclamation activities, including adequate financial guarantees to ensure that the site can be rehabilitated after mining operations cease;
• Conducting these government actions in an open public forum with full, public input of the community.

Reduce and Eliminate the Public Nuisances of the Quarry and its Tenants:

• Enforcing current and future new laws and regulations affecting the quarry and its tenants;
• Requiring the quarry to begin reclamation activities earlier, rather than later;
• Limiting the business hours of the quarry to 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM on weekdays. There should be no mining on weekends or holidays other than for declared emergencies;
• Providing for a "sunset" on the quarrying activities.

Control Truck Traffic and Damage to Point San Pedro Road:

• *Limiting the total tonnage of rock that is shipped by truck from the quarry to 480,000 tons per year (required by the quarry's current permit; equals 1/2 of the amount shipped in 1999);
• Requiring the quarry to meter the departure of trucks at up to 3-minute intervals (to prevent congestion and convoying) during peak traffic hours;
• Forbidding the parking and entry of heavy trucks onto Point San Pedro Road on weekdays before 8 AM and past 5 PM.

Control Noise, Dust, Vibration and Bright Lights:

• Prohibiting the operation of the quarry (rock crushing, barge loading, blasting, etc.) past 5 pm on weekdays (no evening or weekend activities except for declared federal emergencies);
• Establishing stringent noise standards and continuously monitor the quarry's compliance;
• Requiring the quarry to inflict "no discernible impact" on its neighbors from its blasting activities;
• Establishing monitoring and dust control procedures;
• Requiring the quarry to clean and sweep Point San Pedro Road to eliminate debris from rock trucks;
• Requiring the quarry to invest in modern noise and dust suppression equipment.

Control Future Mining Impacts:

• Preserving South Hill from future strip or pit mining;
• Requiring the preservation of existing berms to shield quarry operations from public view.

Ensure that the County Conducts Proper Enforcement:

• Immediately abating the illegal offices built by the quarry in 1996;
• Establishing monitoring and inspection activities;
• Periodically reviewing the effectiveness of restrictive measures;
• Imposing appropriate sanctions when violations are found.

The Coalition has spent a considerable amount of effort to research the appropriateness of the above requirements. In fact, most of the above requirements are common provisions of use permits found in other similar Bay Area quarries!

It is time for Marin County residents to act decisively to protect their interests by seeing that our policy-makers create and enforce appropriate restrictions on the quarry's operations.