Vulcan Files Conditional Use Permit and Revised Reclamation Plan with Azusa to Move Mining Operations to the West 
Vulcan Materials, owners and operators of Azusa Rock Quarry, has filed a Conditional Use Permit and revised reclamation plan with the City of Azusa to amend its existing development agreement to move mining operations 80 acres to the west in an area above Duarte hillside homes. Azusa city officials have currently deemed the application incomplete.
Last year the Duarte City Council established a $700,000 fund to monitor and counter anticipated expansion plans by Vulcan that would adversely impact Duarte residents. The “Fight Against Vulcan Expansion” fund (FAVE) will allow the City of Duarte to monitor the approximately two-year application process involving a Conditional Use Permit and Environmental Impact Report through whatever legal and environmental means necessary, said Duarte City Manager, Darrell George.
Vulcan contends they have 270 acres and currently operate on only 190 acres. The company notes that it is confident of its rights under California law to mine the entire 270 acre property.
The revised plan would substitute 80 acres on the east side, acres currently approved for mining, with 80 acres on the west side of the property. If the City of Azusa approves the revised plan, Vulcan states that it will immediately begin reclamation on the east side with completion within five to seven years as opposed to commencing reclamation in 2038. Reclamation will focus on contouring and micro benching at 12 to 24 inches apart as opposed to the 20 to 40-foot “Mayan step” benches under the current reclamation plan.
Vulcan Materials has said it will host a series of public information meetings to discuss the plan and answer questions. Two public presentations were held in January in Azusa. To learn about upcoming Vulcan meetings, residents are encouraged to visit the company’s website at www.azusarock.com.
For more information about the City of Duarte’s Fight Against Vulcan Expansion activities, call Duarte Deputy City Manager, Karen Herrera at (626) 357-7931, ext. 221
San Gabriel Valley Tribune Article on the Conditional Use Permit
