Yolo planning commission hears CEMEX request to extend Cache Creek mine; no decision made

The Yolo County Planning Commission on Tuesday heard staff and applicant presentations and public comment on CEMEX’s proposed amendment to its Cache Creek mining and reclamation permits but did not take final action after staff said the item was not properly noticed as a public hearing.

The commission received a detailed staff report from contract planner Heidi Chudin and a presentation from CEMEX representatives explaining a request to extend the existing permits through 2047, increase the total excavation tonnage and modify reclamation plans. Chudin and the applicant emphasized that the meeting was a public information and public-comment session only; the commission was asked to refrain from making a decision and the matter is scheduled for a properly noticed public hearing on Nov. 13.

Why it matters: The operation at issue is one of Yolo County’s long-standing aggregate producers and the amendment would change the timetable and footprint for mining and reclamation on roughly a 1,900-acre site near Madison. The proposal affects local land use, habitat restoration plans, trail and road easements intended as “net gains” for the county parkway and raises continuing concerns about methylmercury in off-channel pits that have drawn repeated public comment and scientific study.

Most of the meeting focused on technical…