Status of the Project
The Dutra Group has offered to eliminate the construction of a new barge offloading facility at Haystack Landing by receiving deliveries of aggregate at Landing Way’s existing barge offloading facility that is adjacent to the north. Aggregate required for operation at Haystack Landing will be offloaded by electric crane at Landing Way and transferred via electric conveyor to the Haystack site.
The new Haystack Landing proposal eliminates the need for a diesel front end loader for offloading aggregate, and reduces the need for the use of a tug to position barges during mooring, since barge positioning and offloading is electric at Landing Way, and the extension of the conveyor will be electric. The Landing Way offloading facility is also nearly 900 feet from the nearest residence – and approximately 580 feet farther than the proposed Haystack offloading facility – and is not directly across from Shollenberger Park.
The proposal provides significant noise, air quality and visual impact mitigation, above and beyond the mitigation provided last year by The Dutra Group’s revised plan eliminating onsite recycling component, reducing peak production, and lowering the height of the plant. The original proposal was already calculated by the County and BAAQMD to be below health risk significance thresholds. These modifications reduce project impacts to even lower levels.
Additionally, the use of the Landing Way offloading facility nullifies the potential concerns on navigability of the channel and it provides a stable source of tonnage required for federal funding of dredging, which promotes the ecology and flood control capacity of the River.
Panoramic photo of proposed site and surrounding area taken from Schollenberger Park
(use slider below photo to view entire image)
Relocation of Dutra Materials Plant – Operated in Petaluma for over 20 years
Dutra Materials has operated an asphalt plant and barge offloading facility in Petaluma for over 20 years on the west side of Highway 101. The plant has served Petaluma and southern Sonoma County as an important source of aggregate and asphalt for road maintenance and construction. The project relocates the Dutra’s asphalt plant and barge offloading facility to an industrial area on the east side of Highway 101 to a site comprised of 37 acres. The site is just off Highway 101, has access to the Petaluma River and borders to the north by the aggregate storage, distribution and barge off-loading facility operated by Shamrock Materials.
Project Overview
The Asphalt Plant project will include restoration and dedication to open space of 19 acres of tidal marsh and seasonal wetlands at the site, and on the remaining 18 acres will provide an asphalt plant, barge offloading facility, landscaping and other visual and noise buffers, and a volunteer fire station.
The new asphalt plant will continue to serve the requirements of important taxpayer funded road projects in Petaluma and the County of Sonoma as well as larger public works infrastructure projects like the recently-approved Caltrans’ Sonoma-Marin Narrows project for widening Highway 101. The new plant will be state-of-the-art, providing clean and efficient operations, reducing environmental impacts and enhancing aesthetics. Deliveries by barge will also reduce traffic, noise and vehicle emissions that could otherwise result from a facility of this nature.
Environmental Impact Study for Nearly Five Years
Since originally submitting its proposal for the Haystack Landing asphalt production and barge off-loading facility (Project) on April 28, 2004, Dutra has been working diligently with the County and its consultant to fulfill the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and obtain approval for the Project.
The Project has undergone extensive environmental review and is subject to requirements and conditions that will ensure protection of air quality, the ecology of the Petaluma River, adjacent wetlands and species habitat, aesthetics and the environment, while continuing to provide a local source of asphalt production required for public works and private development projects that are important for the community.
The Project has been subject to an extensive environmental review and public comment process spanning nearly five years. The final EIR contains a detailed analysis of all potential environmental impacts, requires extensive mitigation measures to reduce impacts, and is accompanied by over 140 proposed conditions of approval limiting operations and requiring compliance with mitigation measures, permits and operating conditions that address community concerns and ensure protection of air quality, the ecology of the Petaluma River, adjacent wetlands and species habitat, aesthetics and the environment.
