Outrage over plans to build a huge Muslim cemetery in remote backcountry small ... trends now
A proposed Muslim cemetery in Pine Valley, California is causing local unrest as concerns about water contamination from decomposed bodies arise.
Pine Valley, a small rural town 45 minutes east of San Diego, has a population of 1,646, per the recent U.S. Census. A circulating petition opposing has just as many signatures as how many people live in the town.
SD Crescentwood Cemetery, the nonprofit advocating for the project's execution, is proposing that the burial ground be located on 37 acres of untouched land between Interstate 8 and Old Highway 80.
The main concern from residents are that the decomposing bodies could contaminate the Campo-Cottonwood Sole Source Aquifer, the primary source of water for its service area.
When a person in the Muslim religion is buried, their corpse is wrapped in a shroud and is typically not embalmed, making it easier for fluids from the bodies to seep into the ground. For this reason, local residents and voting members of Campo/Lake Morena Community Planning Group (CLMCPG) are arguing against the cemetery.
Pine Valley (pictured), a small rural town 45 minutes east of San Diego, has a population of 1,646, per the recent U.S. Census
SD Crescentwood Cemetery, the nonprofit advocating for the project's execution, is proposing that the burial ground be located on 37 acres of untouched land between Interstate 8 and Old Highway 80 (Pictured: The access road was marked off on the proposed cemetery site in Pine Valley)
'Human remain leachate can contaminate drinking water by seeping into the ground and entering the aquifer,' the petition points out. 'This can happen through cracks in the cemetery's liner, or through the natural breakdown of the liner over time. Byproducts including bacteria, viruses, parasites, lead, arsenic, and mercury.'
The non-profit argues the cemetery would have minimal environmental impact and that would meet all county and state regulations.
The project's conception
