Saticoy & Wells Community Plan & Development ... - City Of Ventura

Saticoy & Wells Community Plan and Code EIRSection 4.10 Mineral Resources4.10 MINERAL RESOURCESThis section addresses potential impacts to mineral resources. Both direct impacts to mineralresource production and indirect land use compatibility impacts are discussed.4.10.1 SettingMineral resources are usually mineral derivatives but can include geothermal and natural gasdeposits. Because mineral resources can take millions of years to replenish naturally afterextraction, they are considered “nonrenewable” resources. The two principal mineral resourceswithin the Ventura area are aggregate and petroleum resources, each of which is discussedbelow.a. Aggregate. Aggregate resources comprise the basic ingredients for a large variety ofrock products including fill, construction-grade concrete, and riprap. Aggregate resourcesinclude sand, gravel, and rock material.The Project Area is located in the Western Ventura production-consumption region (PCR), asdesignated by the California Geological Survey (CGS). Aggregate mining sites located withinthe vicinity of the Project Area were previously located along the Santa Clara River, andconsisted primarily of the extraction of Portland cement concrete (PCC)-grade aggregate.However, there are currently no active aggregate mining activities within this area; “red line”restrictions imposed by a joint resolution of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors haveremoved the portion of the Santa Clara River downstream of Highway 118 from considerationas an area for possible future mining activities (AMEC Earth and Environmental, January 2004).A gravel extraction operation is located across the Santa Clara River (south of the Project Area),on the south bank immediately west of the Route 118 bridge (see Figure 4.10-1). This site islocated outside of the City of Ventura in unincorporated Ventura County.b. Petroleum. Oil production has played an integral role in the development of theVentura area, where oil was discovered in 1885 during the drilling of a water well. By the1980s, a drop in local oil production rates and a general decline in the oil production industryresulted in a substantial reduction in oil field related activity.There are no petroleum fields within the Project Area. The only remaining petroleum fields inthe Project vicinity are located approximately 2 ½ miles northeast of the Project Area (see Figure4.10-2). This area is in unincorporated Ventura County.c. Regulatory Framework. Surface mines are regulated by the state of California inaccordance with the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA), PRC § 2710 et seq., andthrough the County’s land use permitting processes. Adopted in 1975, SMARA has two basicobjectives: (1) to safeguard access to mineral resources of regional and statewide significance inthe face of competing land uses and urban expansion; and, (2) to ensure the proper reclamationof surface mining operation. Pursuant to SMARA, the California State Mining and GeologyBoard oversees the Mineral Resource Zone (MRZ) classification system. The MRZ systemcharacterizes both the location and known/presumed economic value of underlying mineral4.10-1City of Ventura