Massive Mining Project Halted; Environmental Concerns Cited

An 86-acre swath of open space along the 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore will not be mined ... for now.

In a 4-0 vote Tuesday night, the Lake Elsinore Planning Commission decided that Corona-based Maruhachi Ceramics of America (M.C.A.) must provide updated environmental and traffic studies before the company can conduct clay mining on the site.

“We need up-to-date reports to make intelligent decisions today,” said Commissioner Rick Morsch, who noted that existing studies are approximately four years old.

Morsch and Vice Chair Mike O’Neal were adamant that M.C.A. obtain updated biology, traffic and geo-technical reports on the proposed project. They also called for more specific details on mining and reclamation plans.

Commissioner John Gonzalez and Chairwoman Shelly Jordan were also critical of the old reports, but all the commissioners said they would allow the mining activities if M.C.A. can address the concerns.

M.C.A. produces customized clay roofing tiles. The company wants to begin mining clay over a period of 15 years on the site known as the Alberhill Southwest Shale Mine.

The site, which has never been mined and is now open space, sits along the east side of the 15 Freeway, between Nichols Road and Lake Street.

According to city documents and M.C.A. representatives, the company has a vested right to mine the land and is exempt from the Western Riverside County Multi Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

The property was once leased by mining giant Pacific Clay, which has operations near the proposed site.

Even with vested rights, M.C.A. is still required under state law to provide a reclamation plan that lays out how it will restore the land – in this case to open space – once mining activities cease. With that plan come financial assurances from the company that it can hold to the reclamation requirements.

Additionally, a mitigated negative declaration was drafted for the project. The declaration is required when initial studies show that a proposed project may have an adverse effect on the environment, as this one does, according to city documents, and how the effects will be mitigated.

The city did not require an Environmental Impact Report for the project.

“It boggles my mind,” said Morsh of the lack of an EIR.

M.C.A. said it plans to mine approximately 55 of the 86 acres. The process, called pit mining, would require digging to depths of approximately 35 to 65 feet.

M.C.A. officials acknowledged Tuesday that rock would be unearthed during the mining process, and much of it would be crushed to sell as aggregate. It was not clear whether the crushing would be handled by the company or outsourced.

After the meeting, M.C.A. officials expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s vote, saying that the company met its duties but the city has moved too slowly, causing the reports to become stale.

“They didn’t act in a timely manner,” said M.C.A. President and CEO Yoshihiro Suzuki, noting that the reclamation plan and associated documentation were provided to the city three years ago. “We submitted everything requested on time.”

Suzuki said his company has spent approximately $500,000 to get to this point, and he’s unsure how much it will cost to get updated reports or how long the process will take.

While M.C.A. considers its options, two Alberhill Ranch residents said they were “delighted” with the planning commission’s decision Tuesday night.

Paulie Tehrani and Sharon Gallina have taken on local mining and have long argued that the state, not the City of Lake Elsinore, should have oversight over area mining.

That argument is expected to be considered November 10 when the State Mining & Geology Board convenes in Lake Elsinore for a meeting on the issue.