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Los Angeles CA. 900012
September 13, 1999 Re: Transit Mix EIR
This response to the Transit Mix EIR is provided in written form as required by procedures.
It is also provided on line at my newspaper that is an adjucated newspaper for Acton and Agua Dulce. The Internet version is easier to read and I encourage those of you who have electronic access to review the electronic copy:
This project must not be approved because there is no need for added minerals, the EIR failed to disclose the major pollution by Nitrate contamination of the water supply for 200,000+ citizens in the Santa Clarita Valley, and it fails to even mitigate the few negative problems that are disclosed.
In Southlands 10K filling with the SEC they state:
Compare this to this statement from the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Summary for the Transit Mix Project under Project Purpose and Objectives:
Both of these statements cannot be true.
It is my option that the there are sufficient supplies of aggregate for the next 20+ years and that the statement in the EIR is a blatant lie. To support this see the 2 year old story on Calmat shutting down it’s mining project "For lack of need'. This was done before your commission on 1-14-96 - see "Surface Mining Permit & Reclamation Plan SM96144 Calmat Company at 14212 Lang Station Road, Canyon".
When sand and gravel is crushed and washed, the nitrates are dissolved and placed in the water table. Since the runoff of this project would be percolate from, the settling ponds directly into the Santa Clara River, which supplies a substantial portion of the drinking water for 200,000+ individuals. This source of critical nitrate pollution is totally ignored in the EIR, and by itself is sufficient to stop the project.
The rocks and the mountains, that Transit Mix intends to surface mine, contain high level of nitrates. See S-4 "The principal material to be mined will be the Vasquez Conglomerate" .Those who know Spanish realize that Agua Dulce means "sweet water". Nitrates dissolved in water tastes sweet,
See the report by Howard Carlip , "An element occurring in volcanic rock, Soda Niter Sodium Nitrate (NaO3) N 16.5%, Na 27%, it is described as deliquescent powder or granules, which means it undergoes gradual dissolution and liquefaction by the attraction and absorption of moisture from the air (Merck Index). It too is very soluble in water."
See the comments on the UCR report showing huge quantities of nitrates in the rocks." Also pointed out is the one Riverside rock and soil test on the "Vasquez Volcanics", showing 797 ppm nitrates buried in the appendix (B3-5),"
Agua Dulce has one of the highest concentrations of natural nitrates occurring in the soil and rocks. This has been confirmed by a USGS study of the entire United States in the 1880’s when Chile cut off sources of Salt Petre for production of munitions. In a study they determined that the Agua Dulce area had the highest occurring natural amount of nitrates. Agua Dulce is designated as a health hazard area by Los Angeles County because of high nitrates in the ground water
A commercial well (Pine Tree 1) located just south of the existing sand and gravel areas, has a high concentration of nitrate in the water. This nitrate approaches the maximum safe level of 40 mg/l.
With few exceptions the only groups supporting this project are Transit Mix, Vendors and their paid supporters. There is massive opposition to the project. Every Homeowners groups, School District Chamber of commerce (Except the San Fernando Valley trade group), all federal and state elected representatives, and even the City of Santa Clarita, which has hired its own experts to oppose the project.
Transit Mix refused to make a copy of their EIR available in electronic form for us to publish, at no cost to them. See my letter on December 11, 1996 to the RPC. Even after I testified before your commission on 4-4-99, they still refused. See:
What are they trying to hide?
Paper copies of the Web pages are attached
Charles Brink Acton
Publisher of the Vanguard News.