April 13, 2007

Acorn Newspapers


Dump Operator Wants to Double Facility's Size
Permission sought for Simi site
By Sylvie Belmond


The operator of the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center submitted an application to the county on Wednesday requesting permission to expand and improve the landfill northwest of Madera Road.

Waste Management Inc. wants to double the landfill from 185 acres to 371 acres. "Green energy" and recycling programs would also increase to meet the county's long-term disposal and recycling requirements, said Mike Smith, the company's market area general manager.

"We're proposing several improvements to ensure that the needs of our customers are met well into the future," Smith said.

The application must go through the local permitting process and be approved by the county planning commission and the county board of supervisors before going to the state for final approval. The entire process should take about 12 to 18 months, said Mike Williams, Waste Management project manager. With no expansion the landfill will be full in about 20 years, Williams said. Making the site bigger not only would address the projected local trash storage shortage but also would extend the life of the landfill to 2050. It would also allow handling of the waste managed by the Santa Paula landfill when that site is full, Williams said.

Waste Management anticipates that truck traffic will increase from 822 trips per day to 897, not counting trips that would result from a possible GI Rubbish move.

The proposal includes the relocation of the hauling operations of GI Rubbish, which is owned by Waste Management, from West Los Angeles Avenue in Simi to the landfill to consolidate operations and reduce the amount of traffic on city streets. The move would generate additional truck trips in the landfill area, Williams said.

The company is not seeking to increase the total 9,250 tons per day allowance, but to increase the percentage of disposable trash intake allowed. That would be changed from 3,000 tons per day to 6,000 tons per day to accommodate the county's growth, Smith said.

The remaining 3,250 tons allowed per day would be reserved for recyclable items, Williams said.

Waste Management is asking permission to build a material recovery and recyclables transfer facility to boost recycling. An environmental collection center to help keep hazardous waste and consumer electronics out of the landfill has also been requested.

Plans also include the expansion of the existing landfill gasto-energy program to include three additional generators, which would more than double the production of renewable energy, Williams said.

"The full extent of impact assessments will be revealed when the environmental impact report is completed over the next year," he said.

A 516-acre buffer zone around most of the landfill is proposed. It wouldn't encroach on Alamos Canyon, Smith said.

Approximately 75 percent of the landfill's trash comes from Ventura County, the other 25 percent from Los Angeles County. Of all the trash that Ventura County produces, 60 percent goes to the Simi site.

Although landfills may evoke visions of garbage dumps filled with trash left in an open pit, today's facilities are much more sophisticated.

The daily intake of trash is immediately covered with a combination of clean soil, fabric tarps and processed materials approved by regulatory agencies. The bottom of the fill site is lined with nonpermeable multilayered materials to prevent leaks.

Waste Management collects and extracts any liquids generated by the decaying trash. The process is heavily regulated, Williams said.

Ventura County Supervisor Peter Foy, who hasn't seen details of the proposal, said he had promised voters he wouldn't allow more trucks on local roads.

"But we still have a responsibility to make sure we can manage our own waste," Foy said.

While the county population isn't expected to grow significantly, he said, projections point to more trash.

"That means there's more packaging," Foy said. "We need to get rid of our trash, but we also need to control how much trash we generate and slim down the waste."

Simi Valley Councilmember Barbra Williamson, who recently announced she's forming an independent advisory committee to oversee landfill expansion plans, said she and other members of the group will carefully review the application.

"Their current permit doesn't expire until 2034. They still have a lot of room; I don't understand what the hurry is," she said.

Although the GI Rubbish move is a good thing, it won't provide much traffic relief on Simi streets, she said.

"Are they going to do anything for the residents of Simi Valley, lowering tipping fees for local trash haulers and putting sports fields on some of the land they own there?" Williamson said.

Moorpark Councilmember Roseann Mikos said she hopes to review the proposal soon to ensure that the needs of Moorpark residents are met.

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