Yolo County struggles over mining policy

Yolo County officials continue to struggle over a policy to govern gravel mining on Cache Creek.  The County sponsors a series of workshops where mining industry representatives and anti-mining activists can argue their positions and try to reach consensus.  Six gravel companies mine Cache Creek and surrounding areas and contribute $28 million a year to Yolo County’s economy. A coalition of environmentalists and farmers oppose gravel mining because they claim it damages the aquifer and natural underground system that recharges local wells; they say that mining has lowered the stream bed 27 feet in some areas, profoundly altering the ecosystem.