Land Reclamation Laws

California legislators begin to revise mining laws and standards.   In particular, they begin rethinking reclamation laws.  On Cache Creek several mining pits have been abandoned, and the permits do not require operators to reclaim them. In 1979 Yolo County passes an Interim Ordinance that places a moratorium on mining in the creek by establishing maximum depth and width limits to extraction. This “Interim Ordinance” remains in place for 17 years.  In response, the gravel industry proposes to move “off-channel” to deep pits adjacent to the creek. This proposal is met with alarm by neighbors and environmentalists, setting off the “gravel wars” that will last for the next 20 years.