MUP and reclamation plan
approved for Turvey granite mine

By Joe Naiman
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — The county’s Planning Commission voted 7-0 Dec. 18 to approve a Major Use Permit and reclamation plan for a small granite mining operation in the 16200 block of Alpine Boulevard.
     The 46.7-acre site owned by Mark and Rhonda Turvey is expected to produce approximately 191,000 cubic yards of decomposed granite.
     The mining will be conducted using conventional earth moving equipment, and rock material will be excavated, screened, and transported from the site by truck for use in construction projects.
     The property has A70 agricultural zoning, and the reclamation plan includes returning the land to a condition suitable for use as a box tree nursery. The reclamation will create three level pads, which would provide storage space for the box trees.
     The mining itself will encompass 11.39 acres of the total two-parcel site, and a grading plan for two additional pads was authorized in 2006. The mining is expected to continue for approximately ten years, and the Major Use Permit will expire on Dec. 18, 2019, although an extension can be sought prior to that expiration date.
     No buildings will be constructed during the mining operations. A single employee, if not an owner-operator, will use heavy equipment in the mining operations. A Cat D 10 Dozer will excavate rock material, and loose material will be scooped up by a front end loader and fed into a screen for processing.
     The processed material will be stockpiled by a conveyor, and the processed granite will be loaded into haul trucks using a front end loader. The heavy equipment also includes a 2,000-gallon water truck.
     Approximately six outbound truck trips per day are anticipated. All on-site equipment will be refueled by service vehicles called to the site, and fuel will be pumped directly from the service vehicle into the fuel tanks of the heavy equipment.
     The site itself will not have a fuel storage tank, and any spillage during fueling would result in the collection of contaminated soil and the transport of that soil to a licensed disposal facility.
     The disturbed areas will be revegetated as each phase of mining is completed. Hydroseeding of all cut slopes and pad areas with a native seed mix will reduce the risk of erosion, and the revegetated areas will be monitored and maintained to ensure success.
     An environmental Mitigated Negative Declaration was circulated for public review on Sept. 24 and was filed on Nov. 2. In March 2008 the Alpine Community Planning Group voted 12-0 to recommend approval of the project.

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