COUNTYWIDE : Board Backs Merger of Rubbish Agencies

The County Board of Supervisors approved in concept Tuesday the merger of the county’s two major rubbish agencies into a countywide Waste Management Authority.

The board tentatively approved the merger of the county Solid Waste Management Department and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District--a move that backers say will end six years of political bickering and wasteful competition for control of area landfill and recycling facilities.

Formation of the new authority requires approval of the supervisors and all 10 city councils in the county. The plan has been circulated among the councils for comment since late November. Despite some criticisms--especially from Simi Valley and Moorpark--the merger has encountered no obstacle that cannot be overcome, said Clint Whitney, sanitation board general manager.

The most prickly problem has been a provision that holds all cities and the county legally responsible for cleanup of contamination discovered at the county’s legal landfills and at illegal roadside dumps, officials said.

Simi Valley and Moorpark have opposed the liability provision because, unlike the other cities, they are not part of the sanitation district and are not liable for problems at the district’s four landfills.