FCPG to request county's help regarding quarry

On Monday, the Fallbrook Community Planning Group (FCPG) voted unanimously to authorize Chairman Jim Russell to speak before the Board of Supervisors and solicit their assistance in evaluating the possible Liberty Quarry environmental impacts on Fallbrook.

Granite Construction, the force behind the quarry, intends to mine aggregate, the major ingredient for asphalt and concrete. The location site would be in Southwest Riverside County, between Temecula and Fallbrook. Rainbow would also be near the mining area.

During the start of this particular agenda, Russell conveyed that both the Board of Supervisors and County Counsel were not interested in “sticking their noses” into Liberty Quarry, since it was a Riverside matter. “I’ve talked to the County Counsel and County Counsel was of the opinion that we would not be doing our duty sticking our nose in that,” said Russell.

Other concerns Russell raised were in reference to Fallbrook not being entitled to legal defense or reimbursement of legal fees. Because of this information, Russell believed it was prudent to first get the FCPG vote before approaching the Board of Supervisors regarding the quarry.

During public testimony, Joseph Hudson, a retired but still active licensed attorney, disagreed with Russell’s point of view, claiming his statements were “simply untrue.” Two letters from the County of San Diego, dated August 17, 2005, and July 16, 2007, addressed Liberty Quarry bullet points such as: air quality, biological, water quality, groundwater and overall environmental concerns. Hudson handed Russell these letters during the meeting.

This project, Hudson said, is of a concurrent jurisdiction, meaning the quarry is a project that straddles two counties: Riverside and San Diego. “There will be a direct impact on Fallbrook,” he said.

These negative impacts, some say, include health, environmental, agriculture and traffic issues. According to Hudson, Fallbrook does have a connection to Liberty Quarry, thereby entitling it to legal defense and indemnity if there ever was an impending lawsuit.

The Rainbow Community Planning Group has been wrestling with the looming quarry project also and been in direct contact with Supervisor Horn’s Office.

Rua Petty, chair of the Rainbow Planning Group, has communicated with San Diego County officials, making sure they would legally support the efforts of Rainbow. “And to this point, I have no reason to believe that any of our actions we have taken would not be supported,” said Petty. For Rainbow, the quarry is undoubtedly a North San Diego County issue.

Wallace Tucker, a member of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, also claimed that the quarry is a North County issue and that it is the responsibility of Fallbrook to move forward. “We can’t rely on Riverside County to take care of us. They have enough on their plates right now,” he said.

Worried about the environmental impacts on San Diego County, Tucker was especially concerned about the quality of life and biological impacts. The integrity of the Santa Margarita River was also a worry.

FCPG member Jim Oenning was responsible for placing the topic on the September 17 agenda. He prepared an extensive report, covering a flurry of issues regarding the quarry. It included the harmful effects of silica, a compound of silicon dioxide that would be present when mining aggregate.

Oenning said silicosis can cause irreversible lung disease, disability and, in some cases, death. Oenning said his son died from silicosis.

Russell claimed that Oenning’s motion and presentation were beyond the scope of the agenda but that the presentation will be used in a future meeting.

Gary Johnson, Granite Construction Aggregate Resource Development Manager, assured members of the audience that not only is Riverside County the lead agency looking carefully at the environmental impacts but San Diego County is following the same protocol.

Granite is eager to get two technical information reports out to the public: “Potential Crystalline Silica Emissions and Exposure Associated with the Liberty Quarry and Other Activities in the Region” and “Blasting Plan and Impact Analysis, Liberty Quarry.”

“Both [reports] clearly show no community impact to residents near the facility,” said Johnson. He quickly pointed out that the mines, some as deep as 800 feet, will not reach groundwater.

“And the Santa Margarita River does not flow through the quarry project,” he added.

The technical reports can be downloaded at http://www.libertyquarryfacts.com.