COUNTY ISSUE: New Landfill

Oxnard’s Bailard dump is scheduled to close in 1993, and the 551-acre Weldon Canyon near Ventura has been proposed as the site of a new landfill for the western county. A study is expected to be released late this month, with the board expected to vote on the proposal this year. Should Weldon Canyon be the site of the new landfill?

* Nina Shelly Ojai mayor

No. I have protested Weldon Canyon from the outset, when it was designated in the 1985 county Solid Waste Management Plan as the single site to be considered. Ojai has an unfortunate situation, as do parts of Los Angeles, in which we have a severe inversion problem, where the cold ocean air sits on top of whatever pollution is down in the valley. It gives us the dubious distinction of having the sixth worst air quality, in terms of ozone, in the nation. Until the environmental impact report on Weldon Canyon comes out, the only thing we know is that there will be in the neighborhood of 600 vehicle round trips per day deep into our air shed. I am also opposed because I feel that waste facilities should be publicly owned and preferably publicly operated. We have learned a recent lesson at the Bailard Landfill, where the taxpayers and ratepayers had to foot the bill for $7-million corrections for a private operator who walked away.

*William S. Chlat Planning and development manager, Regional Sanitation District

A great deal of work was done in identifying Weldon Canyon in the mid-1980s as the site for the next landfill. However, much has changed in six years, like the types of things we’re throwing away, reducing the amount of waste and recycling -- everything from Christmas trees to aluminum cans. I believe landfills ought to be operated in the public trust and that, because a landfill is a type of resource, much like a national park or forest -- although certainly not of that pristine value but nevertheless a resource that has to be maintained for years to come -- I believe landfills should be operated in the interest of the public. My concern with Weldon Canyon is that it would not be. More importantly, the Weldon Canyon site would tie up most disposal capacity in the county into one organization’s hands, an organization which is not a public agency. I think we need to look at a different kind of landfill, one designed to handle residuals from recycling. Clearly, we’re not going to be burying as much as we thought we’d be burying in 1985.

*John K. Flynn Ventura County superior

I can’t answer that question until I read the environmental impact report. I do think we need to look into the future and to commit ourselves to a system that will take care of our waste for the long term. That system is going to require perhaps a changed structure in the way we have been operating. We’ve been relying completely on the structure represented by Regional Sanitation District. No.1, the way we govern the issue has to be addressed. No.2, we have to emphasize recycling, waste reduction, resource recovery, and all of these things will make up our system of handling waste in the future. We must commit ourselves to it. For the last 10 or 15 years, we’ve gone in circles, wasted time. I think we’re approaching a crisis situation. Hopefully, we will work towards forming public-private partnerships to help address this problem for the future and take aggressive action and put aside differences, jealousies and only think of the public interest.

*James M. Jevens

Weldon Canyon project manager, Waste Management of North America

Yes, Ventura County had an extensive study conducted on potential new landfill sites that resulted in the publication of the 1985 county Solid Waste Management Plan as mandated by the state of California to determine waste disposal capacity and capability. Of some 29 or 30 sites reviewed by consultants on behalf of the county, Weldon Canyon was determined as a significantly strong site from a geo-technical point of view. The county supervisors and a majority of the cities in Ventura County ratified that document and accepted that Weldon Canyon had proved itself as a preferred site for important environmental and economic reasons. Waste Management obtained the site after the public service agency was not able to come to an agreement with the landowner on a purchase or lease arrangement. In spite of the fact the site had been proven ecologically sound by the county’s consultant, we conducted our own full site investigation. We spent roughly $6 million to confirm that the site was a sound as it should be.

*Ruth L. Shimer

Resident within one mile of the Weldon Canyon site

Absolutely not. It is too close to old residential developments. We have statistical proof from the state that anything within a mile is very vulnerable to air pollutants. Plus the fact that this proposed dump would be within feet of the Red Mountain fault. The fault is very active. Once there are fissures made, the crap from the landfill will go right smack down through there. And don’t give us this stuff about lioners! You can perforate liners with a pocketknife. Anything can be penetrated where you have an earthquake fault. It will get into our water, out air. In terms of transportation they would use a very narrow road, right now so impacted that people who commute can hardly get through. To have these huge trucks coming in will be a disaster. We’re talking about Weldon Canyon, an old canyon, a creek, a wetland. There are mountain lions, ring-tailed cats, even evidence of bobcats in the backcountry. This is a natural connector with the backcountry. Every reason that you could imagine for it not being a good spot for a dump is there.