More than a dozen San Benito County landowners were sent letters
by the California High-Speed Rail Authority asking permission to
enter their property to conduct engineering, environmental and
other surveys as the group studies potential environmental impacts
of the planned high-speed train system.
More than a dozen San Benito County landowners were sent letters by the California High-Speed Rail Authority asking permission to enter their property to conduct engineering, environmental and other surveys as the group studies potential environmental impacts of the planned high-speed train system.
The letters, dated Feb. 10, say the information gathered “will be used to determine the best location for the project and the steps necessary to mitigate for its environmental impacts.”
The nearly 800-mile California High Speed Rail System, expected to be fully operational by 2020, is slated to have routes from Southern California to Sacramento and to the Bay Area, transporting passengers at speeds up to 220 mph. A 123-mile stretch from Merced to San Jose would run through the Pacheco Pass with a proposed station in Gilroy.
A revised environmental impact report released in March said the rail line should access the Bay Area through the Pacheco Pass, rather than the Altamont Pass.
Landowners on Pacheco Pass Hwy. and Lovers Lane in San Benito County were among those to receive the letters, which seek permission for engineers, biologists, archeologists, hydrologists and other environmental resource specialists to conduct studies. A number of rural Gilroy residents received the same letter.
“Their work will primarily consist of observation,” read the letter, which goes on to say that any disturbances of the ground, if necessary, will be repaired immediately.
“No digging, trimming of brush, removal of crops, or other damage will be done,” said the letter from Dan Leavitt, deputy director of the High-Speed Rail Authority.
Look for the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
