Top Landfill Choice Near Welk Village : Dump: Latest study ranks 16 potential sites for a North County landfill.

The area south of Merriam Mountain ranked at the top of a list of 16 potential North County landfill sites, according to an environmental study released late Monday.

The site, north of Escondido and west of Interstate 15, has been mentioned in previous studies but opposed by residents of Lawrence Welk Village, who would have a direct view of the landfill operations across the freeway.

The most recent study also named a site in Oceanside as second choice. The third-ranked site was just northeast of Vista, and the fourth was south of Lake Hodges, in the Ralphs Ranch development.

A Feb. 4 hearing is expected to be set to gather residents’ opinions before the County Board of Supervisors selects one or more of the proposed locations for further study.

North County’s only landfill in San Marcos is expected to reach capacity and close in March unless the county obtains permission from the Regional Water Quality Control Board to double its capacity.

Two previous landfill site studies considered many of the 16 locations included as finalists in the most recent analysis, conducted by the Butler/Roach Group. In addition, two locations already undergoing extended study were not included in the Butler/Roach analysis. Those sites are on Aspen Road, near Fallbrook, and Gregory Canyon, south of California 76 and east of I-15.

Despite the Merriam Mountain site’s visibility from Lawrence Welk Village and I-15, the study gave it high marks for accessibility, capacity and protection of water and biological resources.

The second-ranked site, north of Oceanside Boulevard in the Loma Alta area, would be visible to residents living on the north slope of Loma Alta Mountain but was ranked high on accessibility, via Rancho Del Oro Drive from Oceanside Boulevard. Its capacity is among the smallest of the 16 finalists, but consultants noted it could be expanded because the underlying soils would permit unlimited excavation.

A site along Gopher Canyon Road less than a mile northeast of Vista is in undeveloped mountainous terrain next to Vista Valley Country Club’s golf course and is visible from some homes around the golf club, the study showed. However, it affords excellent protection of water and biological resources, the study said.

The fourth-ranked site, which is about 1 1/2 miles west of Rancho Bernardo and south of Lake Hodges in unincorporated territory, would be visible from an apartment complex less than a half mile south of the site, the report said. Its small size and proximity to Lake Hodges were noted as negatives. Lake Hodges, a reservoir owned by the city of San Diego, serves as a drinking water source for several North County communities.

The rest of the top 10, in order of ranking:

* East of Edgehill Road, north of San Marcos and east of Vista.

* West of Mt. Whitney, east of Encinitas and south of San Marcos.

* South fork of Gopher Canyon, northeast of Vista.

* East Escondido, in the hills northeast of Escondido.

* Burnt Mountain South, east of I-15 and north of Escondido.

* East of Mt. Whitney.

Nine sites were eliminated under a “fatal flaw” system because of locations in flood plains or because they would threaten other water sources, such as aqueducts or reservoirs. Others were dropped because they were within 10,000 feet of airport runways in Carlsbad and Oceanside.