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RECEIO/ED AUG 2 3 2011 22587 Burwood Lane ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH Escalon, CA 95320 DEPARTMENT August 18,2011 San Joaquin County Community Development Dept. 1810 East Hazelton Avenue Stockton, CA 95205 Atm. John Funderburg Re. EIR for Application No. QX-89-0002 (Extended Hours of Operation for George Reed, Inc.) 267,42-- ,e/ AP We operate a cattle and horse ranch on Burwood Lane,which borders the subject Munn&Perkins property. Over the past 50 years,this facility has morphed from a quarry to a full fledged materials and asphalt processing plant, and the request for extended operating hours is just one more step in the strategy of Modesto's George Reed Company to expand their industrial operations in an agriculturally zoned region. Although this Environmental Impact Report(EIR) considers some of the issues regarding extended hours (concluding that objectionable traffic noise and noxious odors are unavoidable),the full environmental effects of this facility have never been properly quantified, as continued incremental amendments to the operating conditions have been allowed(with and without permits). Meanwhile,the surrounding residents have put up with noise, dust and odors for years; and this application will allow these same conditions to continue into nighttime hours. It's a big enough nuisance to smell rubberized asphalt fumes during the day time,but for it to persist at night and to enter our houses with open windows, is overly obtrusive. The following discussion addresses the environmental issues raised in the EIR. Noise County noise standards are routinely exceeded during day time according to George Reed's own acoustic study. Their solution to nighttime traffic noise is to have nearby residents close their windows and/or limit truck speeds to 40 mph. Aggregate and asphalt haulers on River Road don't even obey the speed limit, let alone drive in a manner to reduce their noise impact. These are independent truck operators, not subject to any governance by George Reed. Combining darkness and fog, as we often have in winter near the Stanislaus River,also makes for an especially dangerous situation;while driving to work, a friend collided with a gravel truck pulling out from the M&P plant on a foggy morning. The EIR also recommends a"West Route"to McHenry Avenue; obviously,the trucks will travel in a direction consistent with the job site, affecting residents both east and west of the plant.