Region : Landfill Legislation Delayed

After a legislative hearing on the proposed expansion of the Azusa Landfill last week in Sacramento, Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park) said it would be premature to introduce legislation to prevent the operators from increasing the amount of trash dumped at the landfill.

Tanner and other lawmakers last Friday said they want to see if Metropolitan Water District and other opponents succeed in stopping the expansion proposed by Browning-Ferris Industries before pressing for legislation.

The Senate Agriculture and Water Committee conducted a day-long hearing on the decision by the state Water Resources Control Board to allow Browning-Ferris to increase the amount of trash dumped at the 302-acre site.

Opponents, led by the MWD, reiterated their opposition at the hearing, maintaining that the plan creates a threat to drinking water because hazardous materials could contaminate underground water supplies. MWD, along with the Environmental Defense Fund and local water agencies, have filed suit to block the expansion. The trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 30.

BFI has argued that the expansion is needed to help ease the shortage of dumps in Southern California. The company has agreed to install an elaborate system of liners to prevent any contaminants from leaking into the water and to spend $20 million to help clean up polluted ground water in the San Gabriel Valley.

Danny Walsh, a water board member who supported the proposal, described these protections as “absolutely unprecedented for any facility of this type in California.”