The Cupertino Courier
News
Neighbors hope scrutiny helps quarries clean up act
By HUGH BIGGAR
Rain can bring an unexpected surprise to some residents in Cupertino's foothills who are already used to dust from a nearby quarry and cement plant.
"When it rains, the dust can leave a thin layer of cement on cars," said resident Janet Geiger. Geiger, who has concerns about carcinogens in the dust, said clouds emitted from the Hanson Permanente Quarry look like white smoke, and the odor of gunpowder lingers in the air from blasting activities.
The resulting emissions from the quarry can cover cars and yards of homes in the foothills and are among the sources of concern about Hanson Permanente--a leading source of stationary air pollution in Santa Clara County--and nearby Stevens Canyon Quarry and Lexington Quarry in Los Gatos.
Changes could be on the way, though, after hearings this summer.
As a part of the hearings, California's Department of Conservation issued the three Santa Clara County quarries notices ordering them to make changes or cease operations.
The businesses, along with the Lexington Quarry in Los Gatos, have until Oct. 9 to bring their operations into compliance with California's surface mining law.
"It's been dealt with," said Richard DeAtley, owner of the Lexington Quarry, saying documents in the process are stacked five feet tall on his desk. "We have filed a reclamation assurance plan, and the county did a study showing there was no connection between the quarry and neighbors' wells."
Hanson Permanente officials said they had not been alerted by Santa Clara County of the notices.
At Hanson Permanente, the state found "numerous areas" where the quarry exceeded its approved reclamation boundary, including places graded over in the past to compensate for "gross instability."
The department also found violations at the quarry's commercial rock plant and processing center.
"We've been working on adjustments since 1984," John Giovanola, community affairs manager of Hanson Permanente, said. "We have a particularly complex operation since slope faces and growth areas have changed and we have until 2010 to work on that," he said
At the Stevens Canyon Quarry, the Department of Conservation found missing reclamation plans for some areas and "disturbances that are outside of the approved limits of planned excavation and re-vegetation."
In Los Gatos, the state found similar problems with exceeding reclamation boundaries as well as possible impact on the groundwater aquifer. "We've had concerns about the lax enforcement and reclamation," said Muriel Applebaum, a member of the Los Gatos Hillside Preservation League.
The group hired consultants to investigate and eventually alerted the state, which found Santa Clara County's oversight of mines had been loose or nonexistent.
As a result, the state has given the county a year to make improvements in regulation and asked the three quarries to make immediate fixes.
"We hope for improvements but don't think it will be fixed in a year," Applebaum said, adding the Hillside Preservation League is concerned about possible landslides, erosion and asthma problems.
Geiger hopes government agencies such as Santa Clara County will be more watchful and so far has seen results after the state's intervention.
"The quarry seems to be running properly since this round of hearings," Geiger said. "I am looking forward to a nice clean period of operations."
