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By Miriam Raftery
May 20, 2025 (San Diego) – Years after the Cottonwood Sand Mine was first proposed along the Sweetwater River on the site of the Cottonwood Golf course in Rancho San Diego, the San Diego County Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the proposed sand mine. The latest draft environmental impact report can be viewed here.
The hearing, originally set for April, will now be held Friday, June 13 at 9a.m. at the San Diego County Operations Center hearing room, 5520 Overland Ave., San Diego.
The Valle de Oro Community Panning Group in March voted 10-1 to oppose the controversial project, with one abstention, as ECM reported.
The plan calls for mining 4.7 million cubic yards with nearly 3.8 million cubic yards (or 5.7 million tons) of washed concrete sand (construction aggregate) produced over 10 years. The mining would be done in phases with reclamation planned after each phase, for a total of 12 years of activity.
The developer has said that the sand is needed for highways and construction locally, to reduce the need to import sand for such projects.
Thousands of residents have signed petitions and voiced opposition to the project, voicing concerns over water and air pollution, noise, traffic, impacts on local wildlife, potential property value declines, and more.
The Stop Cottonwood Sand Mine group is leading opposition, urging concerned residents to attend the meeting. The group also raising funds on their website for legal experts to review the latest environmental impact report, after an earlier EIR was rejected as flaws and recirculated to the community
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