Attorneys presented more than three hours of oral arguments Friday in a court hearing on a lawsuit challenging approval of the Roblar Road rock quarry west of Cotati.
An attorney for the citizens group opposed to the 70-acre quarry focused on four key claims related to water quality, replacement of wildlife habitat and creek impacts.
Sonoma County Judge Elliot Daum, in his tentative ruling earlier this week, had indicated the case was likely to prevail on those points.
County attorneys and a lawyer representing quarry developer John Barella gave their counter-arguments on the same claims. Daum asked few questions and gave no indication of how or when he might ultimately rule, according to Sally McGough, a deputy county counsel.
A split county Board of Supervisors approved the disputed project in late 2010. Opponents sued the county and Barella, claiming safeguards needed to address the quarry's impacts were not sufficiently studied or spelled out in the county's environmental report.
The lawsuit asks for the approval to be set aside and a new environmental report conducted.
- Brett Wilkison
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