Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : More Hearings on Compost Plan Ordered

After testimony from Antelope Valley residents about the ill effects a proposed composting facility would have on their community, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to send the proposal back to the Regional Planning Commission for additional public hearings.

The board also ordered Bio Gro Systems Inc., which owns the site, to do a environmental impact report before a renewal of its conditional use permit is reviewed.

The most dramatic testimony came from Giovanna Galeazzi, 36, of Lancaster, who lives across the street from the Bio Gro site. She told the board that her four children have suffered from dizziness and nausea since the facility started to handle the city’s sludge in 1990.

“The smell is inside our home, outside our home,” said Galeazzi. “I am very concerned for my family.”

Galeazzi said any expansion of the site, which can now handle 100 tons of sludge a day, would seriously impact her children’s health. The sludge is injected into the ground or spread on the surface for fertilization of alfalfa and barley crops.

Supervisor Deane Dana suggested sending the matter back to the Regional Planning Commission after Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represents the area, recommended that the conditional use permit be denied.

“I support composting,” Antonovich said. “But I share their conviction that this site is not a suitable location for such a facility.”

Tharon Garber of Bio Gro said extensive research has been done on the effects of the facility on the sparsely populated area. Garber insisted there are no dangers.

“It is unfortunate because all the information is already in the report,” Garber said. “This just puts it back to the public review process.”

In December, the Regional Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit to Bio Gro to build a composting facility. The approval was appealed by the Antelope Acres Town Council.

Bio Gro wants to use 67 acres of its 640-acre ranch for the facility. About 500 tons of sludge a day from Los Angeles waste treatment plants would be trucked to the ranch.

The site, which is located at Avenue A and 140th Street near the Kern County line, emits a strong stench, according to residents. Residents also fear the sludge could contaminate ground water.