State Dismisses Plea for Dump Site Review : Water: County hoped to save money by determining whether proposed North County landfill choices might harm aquifers.

State water officials Monday summarily rejected a request by San Diego County for help in choosing an environmentally sound trash dump site in North County, saying they wouldn’t touch the issue “with a 10-foot pole.”

The county had hoped to save millions of dollars in studies by having the state Regional Water Quality Control Board identify any threats to underground water supplies that might doom its four potential landfill sites, said William Worrell, deputy director of the county public works department.

Normally, the water board wouldn’t approve or veto a site until a full environmental study was ready. But county officials wanted an early, informal decision on whether their proposed dumps might harm aquifers, Worrell said.

The idea was to avoid the time and cost of preparing a full environmental study for sites that might be rejected by the state board, Worrell said.

The county is considering four locations for a trash dump: Merriam Mountain South, across Interstate 15 from Lawrence Welk Village; Gopher Canyon Road, next to the Vista Valley Country Club; Aspen Road, near Fallbrook; and Gregory Canyon, east of I-15 alongside California 76 at Pala.

But, on Monday, water officials rejected the county’s request for an early review, saying they, too, were trying to save money.

“The notion of working with the county sounds good on the surface,” said water board member John V. Foley. But the Regional Water Quality Control Board doesn’t have the staff or resources to analyze the sites, he said.

Foley and others also argued that informally approving a site before a full environmental study was ready could create legal problems for the board when the matter returns for formal approval.

“I don’t think we should touch this with a 10-foot pole,” water board member Judy Johnson said.

County officials weren’t on hand to defend their proposal because they didn’t realize it was being voted on, Worrell said. “I thought we were still working with their staff to find something acceptable” to both parties, he said.

The county had offered to pay for a consultant to work with the state board and wanted to sort out possible legal questions, he said. “I’m hoping they would be willing to reconsider this item at their next meeting.”

At Monday’s session, however, board member Foley suggested that the county hire its own experts to determine if the proposed dumps were “fatally flawed,” leaving the regional water agency out of it.

Critics of the proposed landfill sites also urged the state board to reject the county’s request for help.

Activist Jeanne Ray said county officials were trying to avoid the politically unpopular task of choosing a new trash site by palming it off on the water agency.

County officials and others have been haggling over possible landfill sites for six years.

Merriam Mountain ranked first in the most recent survey of potential dump sites. Lawsuits have been threatened by government agencies opposed to two other locations on the county’s list.

The County Water Authority has said it would sue to block dumps at either Aspen Road or Gopher Canyon, according to county Supervisor John MacDonald. The Aspen Road site is also opposed by the Navy, which fears contamination of water supplies for Camp Pendleton.