Granite Rock Sand Quarry on Quail Hollow Road mines fine crystalline silica sand. The American Lung Association warns this dust causes cancer, silicosis, and chronic lung disease. Their employees get protective breathing equipment as required by law. The neighbors get nothing.
The quarry tests air once a year during the wet season and measures south-to-north flow. Neighbors say dust travels east to west — worst in dry summer months. They've never tested where it actually reaches homes.
Air quality tests happen in February or March — when rain suppresses dust. They measure south-to-north, but residents on the northwest ridge say dust blows east to west. The data doesn't reflect real conditions.
Supervisor Monica Martinez has met with Granite Rock about dust complaints. But the county has no authority to require the quarry to test air quality where residents are actually affected.
Granite Rock plans to remove the northwest ridge face — the natural landform shielding neighborhoods from quarry dust. Removing it will expose more homes to increased silica concentration.
Aerial photographs document the quarry and the northwest ridge Granite Rock plans to remove. The dominant summer wind pushes dust directly toward homes.
Annotated aerial view — Quail Hollow Sand Quarry
Wind direction · natural barrier · residential proximity
During dry months, prevailing winds carry quarry dust from the mining face directly toward residential areas along the northwest ridge.
The northwest ridge is the last buffer between the quarry and homes. Removing this ridge face eliminates the community's remaining natural protection.
Homes sit immediately adjacent to quarry operations. Birds follow the dust plume from quarry to ridge — the same path the dust takes into the neighborhood.
We're not asking the quarry to close. We're asking for basic environmental accountability and the preservation of the natural buffer protecting this community.
Perform testing when dust is at its worst — on the northwest ridge where neighbors report persistent exposure. Wet-season testing doesn't capture real conditions.
Commission an independent study to determine how operations affect the health of neighbors and the San Lorenzo Valley — including dust migration, silica concentration, and ecological harm.
Immediate hold on ridge removal until air quality testing and the environmental impact study are completed and reviewed. This ridge is the last natural barrier.
Granite Rock employees receive protective breathing equipment as required by state and federal law. The neighbors breathing the same air receive nothing.
Sources: American Lung Association · IARC (WHO) · OSHA
Learn more at lung.org →
An incurable lung disease. Fine silica particles cause scar tissue in the lungs, progressively and permanently reducing the ability to breathe.
Crystalline silica is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer — the same category as asbestos.
Long-term exposure is linked to COPD, chronic bronchitis, and other permanent respiratory conditions that diminish quality of life.
Developing lungs and aging respiratory systems are especially vulnerable. Families with children and seniors near the quarry face elevated risk.
The complete petition outlining all three demands from Quail Hollow residents and the San Lorenzo Valley.
Annotated imagery showing the quarry's proximity to homes, the northwest ridge, and dominant wind direction.
Records of Granite Rock's annual tests — dates, methodology, and sampling locations relative to residential areas.
Risks from crystalline silica dust, sourced from the American Lung Association and OSHA guidelines.
Information on Granite Rock's planned ridge removal and projected impact on dust dispersion toward homes.
Records from meetings with Supervisor Monica Martinez on quarry oversight and community dust complaints.
Filmed from the northwest ridge during peak dust season
Neighbors share concerns about dust and the proposed ridge removal
The ridge barrier now vs. after planned removal
Every signature strengthens our case. Sign the petition and stay informed on air quality, community meetings, and quarry decisions.