SAN CLEMENTE : Methane Burner Plan Moves Along
An agreement by county planners to move a proposed methane gas burner away from a local housing tract was applauded this week by the City Council, which voted unanimously to send a letter to that effect to the county.
The original site was within 4,000 feet of the Forster Ranch development. The new plan, outlined in a letter sent to the city by County Supervisor Thomas F. Riley earlier this week, would place the incinerator one mile farther from that development in the foothills of east San Clemente.
Both sites are on the 1,500-acre Prima Desecha landfill off La Pata Road. The incinerator would be part of a three-acre plant that would burn methane gas generated by rotting trash beneath the landfill.
City staff had criticized the original county plans as posing a potential health risk. Planner Catherine O’Hara, who prepared the city’s letter, said a county environmental impact report failed to adequately address health issues.
“No information was provided regarding health risks other than cancer,” the letter stated.
The project has drawn heavy opposition from Forster Ranch residents. In addition to concerns over air quality, residents also complained that the plant’s 60-foot-high smokestack would be an eyesore.
County planners, who hope to have the methane gas station installed by the summer, will present the latest proposal at a county Planning Commission meeting next month.
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