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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Strip mine expansion in L.A.'s San Gabriel Mtns is rejected

Azusa City Council rejects plan to let company shift mining to area that borders Duarte

5/19/2010

Opponents say the rock quarry would scar a mountainside, affect air quality and cut off access to a popular trailhead to the Fish Canyon waterfall.

excerpted from
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hillside-mining-20100519,0,221946.story

After a six-hour meeting that ended Tuesday morning, the Azusa City Council voted 3 to 2 against the mining proposal.

Vulcan Materials submitted a request last year to shift its operations from Fish Canyon to an area that borders Duarte. Vulcan had originally planned to mine an eastern section of its 270 acres, but said the land near Duarte is less visible, which is in keeping with Azusa's general plan.

...Azusa Mayor Joe Rocha said the presence of Duarte residents did not influence his decision to vote against the proposal.
"I questioned from the beginning the success of the revegetation plan," Rocha said, referring to Vulcan's promise of concurrent reclamation of the hillsides.
The company planned to use a technique called micro-benching, leaving pyramid steps about 1 to 2 feet high and 1 to 2 feet deep. Rocha said he was wary of a revegetation plan that offered a 40% success rate.
Vulcan spokesman Todd Priest said Azusa failed to understand that although the vertical surface wouldn't see new growth, "90% of the benchtops would be revegetated and virtually eliminate the appearance of a previously mined area."...


http://www.saveourcanyon.com/ Citizens against the Vulcan Mine

photo of trail that would be wrecked:
http://www.saveourcanyon.com/falls-trail.html

Fish Canyon –waterfalls-near mouth of Azusa Canyon - a set on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25520425@N03/sets/72157624211883760/

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