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May 20, 2024
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
70 W. Hedding St.
San Jose, CA
Re: Groundwater protection from surface mining operations (Item 10, 5/21/24 agenda)
Dear President Ellenberg and Supervisors,
The undersigned organizations write in strong support of the proposed ordinance regulating surface mining operations with respect to impacts on groundwater. Our organizations are dedicated to protecting environmental resources in Santa Clara County, and we represent thousands of members in the county and beyond.
The proposed ordinance is necessary to protect our groundwater from potential contamination. The example of the Lehigh Permanente Quarry, and the discharges of selenium into Permanente Creek as a result of their actions in mining below the groundwater table, should be sufficient to demonstrate how important it is to require that mining operations maintain a protective buffer zone from the groundwater table. Given that the County’s current zoning code contains little to no restrictions on the extent to which mining operations can impact groundwater, this action is long overdue.
Please approve the draft ordinance as recommended by staff. Thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments.
Sincerely,
Alice Kaufman, Policy and Advocacy Director
Green Foothills
Shani Kleinhaus, Environmental Advocate
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Katja Irvin, Guadalupe Group Conservation Chair
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter