San Diego Leagues Encourage County Planning Commission to Require Best Practices for Soil and Water
Published on 5/19/2025
May 19, 2025
County of San Diego
Planning & Development Services
5510 Overland Avenue, Suite 310
San Diego, CA 92123
E-mailed to: PDS.PlanningCommission@sdcounty.ca.gov
Dear Commissioners,
The League of Women Voters believes that in order to assure the future availability of essential resources, government policies should promote stewardship of natural resources. Policies that promote resource conservation are a fundamental part of such stewardship. Resources such as water and soil should be protected. Consumption of nonrenewable resources should be minimized. Reclamation and reuse of natural resources should be encouraged.
We further believe that soil and water conservation are essential elements in land management practices. Development should require best management practices for soil and water conservation.
As sand is a nonrenewable resource and extractive mining is not a best management practice for conservation, we are deeply concerned that the proposed sand mining operation threatens to pollute groundwater, degrade surrounding wetlands, and harm the delicate ecosystem of the Sweetwater River and Sweetwater Reservoir, endangering vital water resources and local biodiversity. Therefore, we urge the County of San Diego Planning and Development Services Department to deny the permits for the Cottonwood Golf Course to be converted to an open pit sand mining operation.
Sincerely,
Kim Knox
President, LWV of San Diego
Marian Vega Clancy
President, LWV of N. County San Diego