Syar proposal to mine up to 350,000 tons per year speeds through county approval process
On October 26th, the Sonoma County Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve Syar Industries massive 350,000 tons per year 15-year mining permit based on a flawed EIR and information not available to the public. The Syar Project went through county review in record time to ensure outgoing Supervisor Paul Kelley could vote to approve it. Supervisor Kelley has received extensive support in past elections from Syar and the mining industry. The project ignores basic scientific knowledge that excessive mining will degrade or destroy critical habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead and lead to increased erosion downstream that will damage others property. Due to flaws in the EIR and science behind the plan it is likely Riverkeeper will seek legal remedies to address this flawed project.
Description of Proposed Syar Alexander Valley Mining Project
- 15 year permit for mining 350,000 tons per year from 15 gravel bars near Geyserville
- Allows for excavation of majority of gravel accumulated since 1994 using a baseline
- Generate up to 480 heavy trucks between Geyserville and Healdsburg during summer
- Requires ARM amendments allowing 15 year permit rather than 10 and to allow mining in the upper 2/3’s of gravel bars
- Ignores sediment budgets although requires annual monitoring and agency review