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B.2. Project Description The Cemex Vernalis Quarry Mining and Reclamation Project site includes approximately 688 acres of land that is situated east of Koster Road, South Costa Ranch Road, and the Delta- Mendota Canal, south of Blewett Road, and approximately two miles east-northeast of the Highway 580/Highway 5 interchange (refer to Draft EIR, Figure 3-1, Regional Location Map). Of the 688 acres, approximately 590 acres (86%) is located within San Joaquin County and the remaining approximately 98 acres is located in Stanislaus County. The mining operation, as proposed, would consist of sand and gravel extraction and the processing of construction aggregates on property owned and leased by the applicant. The application proposes active mining for 26 to 60 years and the reclamation of all disturbed land in phases, resulting in an ultimate end use of agricultural land and open space. The proposed mining operation would consist of the extraction of 1.7 to 4.0 million tons per year. The operation will be open pit, sand and gravel harvesting and processing. A mining plan was developed based on reviewing over 35 soil borings completed on the project site. Maximum mining depths will vary from 88 to 116 feet below ground surface, depending on the groundwater level. No mining will occur in the groundwater aquifer. In addition to the mining operation, the project would include a processing plant and office facilities. Land uses in the area of the Proposed Project are governed by the San Joaquin County General Plan,the Stanislaus County General Plan, and the San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County Zoning Ordinances. Under the Proposed Project,no changes in land use designations are proposed, and mining activities are allowed under both the San Joaquin County General Agriculture land use designation and the Stanislaus County Agriculture land use designation. (Draft EIR, p. 2-1.) C. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW & PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The County conducted an extensive environmental review for this project that included a Draft EIR, Final EIR, appendices and attachments, along with public scoping and review meetings and public comment period. The Final EIR consists of the Draft EIR in two volumes plus the Final EIR in volumes, which Final EIR contains comments and responses to comments on the Draft EIR, as well as revisions to the Draft EIR and appendices. The implementation of the EIR scoping and review process is described in Section 1.3 of the Draft EIR. The following is a summary of the County's environmental review for this project. • An EIR Notice of Preparation (NOP)was distributed to the State Clearinghouse, responsible agencies, interested groups and individuals, and surrounding property owners on December 23, 2002, for a 30-day comment period; • The Draft EIR was circulated for review from May 22, 2006 to July 5, 2006; • Copies of the Draft EIR were sent directly to responsible, trustee, and other State, Federal, and local agencies expected to have expertise or interest in the resources that may be affected by the Project; 2