Projects

Current Projects, Colson Quarry and Cambria Rock

Since 1953, the Colson Quarry of Paul and Hank Antolini has operated for dimension stone, with little reclamation. California reclamation plans were legislated mandatory in 1976 but implementation by Santa Barbara County was not achieved until the mid-90’s, for all mining companies of the county. More background on this story can be read in “Stoned in Santa Barbara”, [a family run quarry is no match for determined bureaucrats].

http://reason.com/archives/1998/01/01/stoned-in-santa-barbara

In 2011 Craig became aware of the Antolini Quarry though Tartaglia Engineering. Proactive work began immediately. The ore reserves were calculated, mine plan analyzed and a concurrent reclamation plan designed, with Tartaglia Engineering and operator input. The photo below shows the team’s improvement. In five years, mine owner Paul Antolini has reduced his reclamation liability by $100,000 [30%] and demonstrated phased restoration with native plants. [Also see the ridgeline photo in the Mission page]. The stone products are wonderful Santa Maria Building Stone; a favorite requested by Frank Lloyd Wright projects and famously utilized constructing the Santa Barbara courthouse.

• Active Mine, at top
• Chaparral reclaimed mine, foreground
• Cover crop slope, mid ground

Cambria Rock

Our latest project, Cambria Rock, crushes and screens sized stone products from colorful stockpiles. Aggregate is extracted cleanly from San Simeon Creek with a Fish and Game permit. [Basically only during drought conditions.]. The stockpiles are revegetated and maintained with erosion controls. Main focus is to improve Stormwater Pollution Plan reporting and documentation at the tidy processing site.