OXNARD : Landfill Extension to Be Considered

The Ventura Regional Sanitation District will hold a hearing Thursday on whether the Bailard Landfill in Oxnard should be allowed to operate after December, 1993, when its permit expires.

The hearing is a chance to respond to an environmental impact statement prepared on the possible extension of the permit. The district proposes that the landfill operate until it reaches capacity or until May, 1997, whichever comes first.

The landfill, at 4105 W. Gonzales Road, operated as a dump from 1962 to 1975. It was closed, cleaned up and reopened as a landfill by the district in 1989.

Ralph J. Steele, senior resource planner for the district, said the extension would allow the district to get more life out of the landfill, which has not reached the elevation allowed under the permit.

“There is no other available landfill in western Ventura County at this time, and there may not be one in the next couple of years,” he said.

Summaries of the environmental impact statement on the 160-acre landfill are available at Oxnard City Hall. The city will also mail summaries for free.

Deadline for written comments on the environmental statement is March 18. Letters should be mailed to Steele at the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, 1001 Partridge Drive, Suite 150, Ventura.

Thursday’s hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at Oxnard City Hall, 305 W. 3rd St.