Lawsuit alleges ongoing stormwater violations at California quarry

Nonprofit groups Environment California and California Sportfishing Protection Alliance have filed a federal lawsuit against Granite Rock Company, alleging repeated violations of the Clean Water Act tied to stormwater and wastewater discharges from its A.R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas, California.

The complaint claims the company exceeded pollutant limits for more than 1,000 days, discharging elevated levels of dissolved solids and metals—including aluminum, iron and molybdenum—into the Pajaro River. According to the groups, stormwater and wastewater collected across the 438-acre quarry site can overwhelm onsite storage during wet weather, resulting in contaminated overflows to the river.

“Graniterock habitually violates its Clean Water Act permit, pays a trivial penalty and then continues polluting the Pajaro River as usual,” said Laura Deehan, state director for Environment California, in a press release.

The lawsuit also alleges failures to adequately monitor discharges, particularly during peak wet-weather periods, raising concerns about unreported pollutant loads entering downstream waters. For stormwater professionals, the case highlights ongoing compliance challenges at industrial sites, particularly where capacity constraints and insufficient monitoring can exacerbate runoff-related pollution.