On July 23, Heidelberg Materials invited a few dozen involved parties to celebrate the start of construction to restore Permanente Creek within their property. The restoration is required by a 2013 Consent Decree between the Sierra Club and Lehigh Southwest Cement Company (the previous owner of the quarry and cement plant) requiring the company to stop releasing toxic levels of selenium into the creek, and to fix damage caused by dumping overburden and waste into the creek. The restoration will remove mining-related fill and sediments, remove man-made barriers, restore the creek bed and streamside slopes, plant riparian vegetation, and install gravel and woody debris for fish habitat.
Chapter Director James Eggers gave a short statement highlighting how the Sierra Club took action when regulators were very slow to take action on water quality regulations and calling on Heidelberg to complete the project within five years, as required by the Decree. Eggers also accepted a Certificate of Commendation from Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga thanking the Sierra Club for bold action, vigilance, and persistence towards a vision to restore Permanente Creek so that steelhead trout may once again swim its reaches. Three Chapter leaders also attended the ribbon cutting to support James Eggers, and to learn more about the project. There will be more news over the next five years as the Sierra Club monitors the project to make sure the restoration is done as specified in the Decree and the plans.
Read our press release.
More on this topic in local news:
- "Cupertino Quarry Owner Begins $25 Million Permanente Creek Cleanup Effort"
KQED
- "Cupertino quarry owner to begin multimillion-dollar cleanup of mining waste in creek"
The Mercury News
- "City To Host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrating Permanente Creek Restoration"
SFGATE
- "Project to revive health of Permanente Creek, damaged by quarry operation, breaks ground"
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