Reclamation Moving Forward at San Rafael Rock Quarry

The San Rafael Rock Quarry, San Rafael, Calif., will restore about seven acres of lands at its operation, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

A section of the eastern San Rafael quarry is no longer viable for mining and will be restored through a four-year process as part of a state requirement of the Dutra Group, which owns the business.

The project will see up to 150,000 tons of material moved as part of the grading of about 300,000 sq. ft. of the northeast quadrant of the quarry. That will be followed by erosion and sediment control measures, and the planting of new vegetation.

The reclamation work was to have begun soon after Dutra submitted its work plan in 2014, but California red-legged frogs were found on site. The frog is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act and work was delayed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A plan is now in place to protect the species.

Marin’s public works department – which is the permitting agency for the quarry – will use Sonoma Technologies Inc. to monitor air quality during the reclamation project, including dust and emissions. The $250,000 contract for monitoring will cover the initial two years of the project. Based on the results of the monitoring, however, the contract may be extended. Dutra will reimburse the county for the cost.

The San Rafael Rock Quarry is committed to maintaining a good relationship with the community. Here are a few examples of the steps taken by the operation to ensure that it remains a good neighbor:

  • Restricted work hours on some of the more audible operations to weekday day-time hours.
  • Implemented a daily street-sweeping of Point San Pedro Road.
  • Installed a new truck wash station to reduce debris track-out onto Point San Pedro Road.
  • Limited the amount of daily truck trips to and from the Quarry.
  • Put into use the reduced noise back-up alarm systems on the trucks at the quarry.

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