OXNARD : Officials OK Permit to Keep Landfill
A proposal to extend the life of the Bailard Landfill cleared its first hurdle Monday as state water quality officials granted a permit to keep the Oxnard dump open for at least another two years.
At an early morning meeting at Ventura City Hall, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, which regulates water rights and water quality for the area, voted unanimously to allow Bailard to continue operating after its Dec. 7 closing date.
The permit is one of three needed to prolong the life of Bailard, said Clint Whitney, head of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which operates the dump. Bailard handles most of the west county’s trash.
Board members asked Whitney to examine sites surrounding Bailard to look for signs of ground-water contamination, but did not make the study a condition for extension of the landfill.
“There are studies that show there is no contamination at Bailard,” Whitney said. “We are happy to lead a study of neighboring sites, but that will not affect whether Bailard is extended or not.”
Ventura County Planning Commissioners are scheduled on Oct. 28 to decide whether to grant the dump a conditional use permit.
The plan then goes to the county Board of Supervisors for final consideration.
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