Olinda Landfill Expansion Plan Up for Hearing

Neighbors who have complained about rats, skunks and the odor of methane gas from the Olinda Sanitary Landfill are expected to lose their latest battle when the county Board of Supervisors votes Wednesday on a plan to enlarge the dump.

A public hearing on the plan to expand the dump 10% is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in the Hall of Administration.

After several years of negotiations, the supervisors tentatively agreed on a price of $250,700 for about 50 acres currently owned by the Boy Scouts.

Purchasing the land adjacent to the dump would enable the county to carry out expansion plans drawn up eight years ago, said Frank Bowerman, manager of the county waste management program. With the acquisition, the dump site will encompass 500 acres, he said.

The new, 50-acre section will be used for drainage and as additional dumping space, he said.

Some neighbors and the Brea City Council oppose further dumping at the site, a position many candidates took before the last city election.

‘Have Been Very Tolerant’

“The residents of Brea have been very tolerant of allowing (the landfill) to exist here for 25 years now,” said Councilwoman Norma Arias Hicks, a two-term member of the county’s Waste Management Advisory Commission.

The site consists of two dumps, known as Olinda and Olinda-Alpha. Two years ago, the Olinda dump was closed to all except rainy-day deliveries, and the Olinda-Alpha dump was opened. Hicks said she believes the Olinda dump still is fully operational, however.

“The county continues to operate the Olinda landfill, which they were supposed to close, and hasn’t done anything about landscaping the dump. We’re 1,000 feet up, and you can see the scar from anywhere in the county,” she said.

She also said Brea homeowners are paying to maintain the roads to the dump with no assistance from the county.

Other city officials and residents have expressed concern about the environmental effects of the dumps since learning of potential groundwater contamination problems around the closed BKK Corp. landfill in West Covina and the McColl dump site in Fullerton, said Brea City Councilman Sam Cooper.

Odor, Skunks and Tree Rats

“We (the council) want to know the long-term impact on the areas, as far as the underground water situation is concerned,” he said.

Some owners of homes near the dump have complained to county officials and to the city about odor, skunks and tree rats.

Last fall, Getty Synthetic Fuels Inc. started its first Orange County methane extraction plant at the Olinda dump site. The natural gas is converted to electricity and sold to Southern California Edison Co. The methane odor sometimes reaches the tract of houses nearest the dump site.

Pat Billeaudeaux, who has complained about the traffic, odor and rat problems, said the city is “asking for trouble” if the dump is expanded.

“Plus, in this day and age, I’m really concerned about what’s being dumped up there,” she said.