Reclaiming Permanente Quarry

An aerial and panoramic view of the historic Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose, CA.

How We Got Here

The Permanente Quarry has operated in the hills of Santa Clara County for most of the last century, benefitting the Bay Area by providing the essential materials and producing the cement that built much of the infrastructure we have come to rely on.

History of the Quarry

Early Days:

This site has a long history of regional significance. Limestone was mined as early as 1902, but it remained a small operation until 1939, when a cement manufacturing plant was built at the site to supply the 5.5 million barrels of cement needed to build Shasta Dam. Since then, materials sourced from the cement production facility have been vital in building the Bay Area and beyond.

A 1940 photo of the first concrete placed at the Shasta Dam, sourced from the Permanente Cement Plant and Quarry.

Cement from this facility has been used in many key construction projects over the last 80-plus years, including many of the Bay Area’s main highways, and San Jose International Airport.

Over the Years:

Throughout the years, the site was primarily a source of cement production, although it was also used for magnesium and ferrosilicon production. Since 1939, cement from the Permanente Cement Plant and Quarry has been utilized for everything from the construction of US Naval installations in the Pacific Theater during World War II, to building long stretches of Highways 85 and 101 in Santa Clara County.

Workers at the Quarry:

Operations at Permanente Cement Plant and Quarry have been a vital part of the local job economy throughout its history. Total employment reached at least 2,000 workers during World War II, and the quarry’s relationship with Laborers’ Union Local 270 dates back to at least 1939.

The quarry has historically been powered by union workers — employing union members to work on the plant dating all the way back to before World War II.

In November 2022, the permanent shutdown of cement kiln operations at the Permanente facility was announced.

Closing of the Quarry Site:

In November 2022, Heidelberg Materials made the decision to end cement kiln operations at the site, and worked with Santa Clara County to formalize the decision. There will be no use of the kiln, and associate infrastructure needed for cement production and distribution has been permanently discontinued and will ultimately be demolished. Aggregate operations, however, will continue into the foreseeable future.

What’s Next:

Now, we are working with state and local agencies to restore the site through a process called reclamation. The proposed Reclamation Plan Amendment (RPA) details our plan for this process.

Reclamation Process