Debate Grows Over Disposal of Trash From West County

With Bailard Landfill in Oxnard facing a possible early closure in 1996, the debate is heating up once again over an alternative solution for disposing of west county trash.

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One proposal calls for expanding the Toland Road Landfill between Santa Paula and Fillmore, another for shipping all of the area’s waste to Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Los Angeles County.

Meanwhile, the San Diego County investment firm that wants to build a dump at Weldon Canyon near Ojai is still pursuing its plans.

Representatives of Taconic Resources said the firm will decide next month whether to apply for development permits or launch a new effort to let voters settle the issue. A judge declared an earlier ballot initiative invalid.

“We’re going to do one or the other, no doubt about it,” said Richard Chase, a general partner of Taconic.

Chase said Taconic is undeterred by the numerous alternatives being kicked around, including the possibility of exporting trash to other states by rail.

“It’s a competitive world out there,” he said. “As Lee Iacocca says, ‘If you can get a better deal, take it.’ But we still feel Weldon is the best alternative.”

Aside from their disagreements over the best solution, there is one thing that all involved in the debate agree on: The county is running out of time to resolve its trash problem.

Because of a heavier-than-anticipated trash flow, Bailard Landfill, scheduled to close in 1997, could shut down as early as July, 1996, officials said. The dump is about 500,000 tons shy of its 3.1-million capacity.

“The bottom line is we may have as few as 18 months to come up with an alternative,” said Clint Whitney, general manager of Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which operates the dump.

To fill the void left by Bailard, Whitney said, the sanitation district proposes to expand its small Toland Road Landfill to handle all of the west county’s trash. The dump, located off California 126, has served Santa Paula, Fillmore, Piru and the surrounding areas since 1968.

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Toland is permitted to handle only 135 tons of trash per day, but that amount could increase up to 1,500 tons under the proposed expansion. The landfill would have an operating life of 15 to 20 years.

Perhaps most important, Whitney said, the expanded dump would be able to offer a tipping fee of $20 to $25, far lower than any of its competitors. The dump’s current fee is $33.

“We believe this landfill could be the least-cost alternative for west county trash disposal,” he said. “We are very confident that this is the best option for the region right now.”

But Santa Paula and Fillmore officials are not convinced.

“We already have the county jail, and now they want us to house the county’s trash too,” said Al Urias, a Santa Paula councilman and a member of the sanitation district. “I’m truly disappointed and if it depended on me, I’d drop the project right now.”

School officials and growers whose fields border the landfill are also worried about increased traffic and dust that would be generated by the enlarged dump.

“We are going to fight this project with every available weapon we can find,” said Anita Nelson, who owns a nearby avocado and lemon farm. “No way are we going to let them make our back yard into a regional landfill.”

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Even if the sanitation district was able to win the support of local residents, securing the necessary permits for the Toland expansion could take several years, officials said.

“There is no way Toland could be ready when Bailard closes,” said Kay Martin, director of the county Solid Waste Management Department. “The average time it takes for a non-controversial project to get permits is 3 to 3 1/2 years.”

Whitney said he believes the district can obtain the permits within 18 months. He points out that it only took 22 months to get permits to extend the operating life of Bailard.

“If the political will is there, we can do it,” he said. “Necessity is the mother of invention. When you’re staring at a drop-dead date in the face, it’s a whole different situation.”

Whitney said Toland Road is heavily subsidized by the much larger Bailard Landfill. Without an expansion to increase revenues, he said, it will be forced to close at the same time as Bailard.

Whitney said he plans to take the proposal to the district’s board of directors on Feb. 16.

But Fillmore Councilman Roger Campbell, the city’s representative on the newly formed Western Ventura County Waste Management Authority, said that the Toland Road expansion is not the only option available.

Campbell said another and more viable alternative would be to send all west county trash to Chiquita Canyon near Santa Clarita. The Los Angeles County dump already receives trash from Fillmore and Santa Paula.

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“It doesn’t make sense to expand Toland because we can easily take our trash out of the county,” Campbell said. “It’s a more economical solution, and it’s long-term.”

Laidlaw Waste Systems, which operates Chiquita, welcomes the opportunity to handle all of the west county’s trash needs.

“We would certainly like to provide that service,” said Rodney W. Walter, general manager of Chiquita. “Right now we’re taking 100 to 200 tons a day from Ventura County. What we’d like to do is take up to 3,000 tons.”

But Laidlaw, whose operating permit for Chiquita expires in five years, has also run into opposition from Los Angeles County environmental groups over its plans to double its landfill capacity. And the issue of importing more trash from Ventura County has only added to the protests.

“There is concern over the import-export issue,” Walter said. “It’s not a given that it will be approved.”

Still, Walter and Campbell remain optimistic about Laidlaw’s plans, especially in light of the Santa Clarita Valley’s growing needs.

As for importing additional Ventura County trash, Campbell notes that the landfill has been taking Fillmore and Santa Paula waste for years. Moreover, he said, the two regions are connected geographically and environmentally by the Santa Clara River.

“I don’t consider Chiquita to be out of the area,” Campbell said. “It’s in our watershed, and it’s in our airshed.”

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Although it could take several years to obtain its expansion permits, Walter said that the landfill is capable of receiving several hundred more tons of trash from Ventura County in the meantime.

Campbell said that the new waste management authority--which includes the county and the cities of Fillmore, Ojai and Ventura--will continue to study the Chiquita Canyon proposal and all other viable options.

He said the authority hopes to convince Camarillo, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Santa Paula officials to join the management group to increase its bargaining power with trash companies.

Indeed, Walter said, Laidlaw will be able to offer a discount rate on its current $32 tipping fee if it is allowed to expand and increase the amount of tonnage it receives from Ventura County.

“We can compete with Toland,” he said.

Meanwhile, Taconic Resources is not giving up on its Weldon Canyon landfill proposal.

Richard Chase, a partner in the firm, said Taconic is well aware of the options being considered by county officials but believes that Weldon Canyon remains the best solution.

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Chase said he believes that opposition in Santa Paula and Fillmore could squelch the Toland Road proposal. He added that Weldon Canyon offers a more long-term trash solution because it would have an operating life of at least 30 years, compared to 15 to 20 years at an expanded Toland Road dump.

Shipping trash to Chiquita Canyon, Chase said, would also mean sending jobs and local tax dollars to Los Angeles County. And Ventura County would be taking a risk, because it would be subject to the regulations and taxes of another jurisdiction, Chase added.

“Chiquita is certainly an alternative,” he said. “But it’s a question of costs, reliability, traffic and all the things that go with it.”

Weldon Canyon faces its own uphill battle, though. Ojai residents and environmental groups have successfully fought efforts to develop a landfill in the canyon for years.

And some officials point out that construction costs and the development of large recycling plants in Ventura and Oxnard would make it extremely difficult for a new landfill at Weldon Canyon to compete financially with existing dumps.

Moreover, they said, a new landfill could take years to build and will continue to face potential lawsuits from environmental groups.

“I’m not convinced that they’re actually going to apply for permits,” said Martin, of the county’s Solid Waste Management Department. “I think they’re just trying to assess what their chances are right now.”

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Although Taconic spent more than $300,000 in a failed campaign to get its dump plan on the November ballot, Chase said the firm has not ruled out an attempt at a new ballot initiative.

“I have no doubt it would pass by initiative,” he said. “There might be some people who make a lot of noise about it, but I think if push comes to shove the majority of people will vote for it.”

Still, Chase said that Taconic, which has already paid a $3,800 pre-application fee, may decide to take its chances and apply for development permits from the county.

Supervisors Judy Mikels and Frank Schillo have both voiced their support for a Weldon Canyon dump. But Supervisor John Flynn, a longtime advocate of the landfill, said he is no longer convinced that another dump is the answer to the county’s trash problem.

“If all things go down the right way,” he said, “I think it’s time Weldon Canyon is buried.”

Flynn said that the Chiquita Canyon proposal represents the most attractive option, but he stopped short of ruling out the Toland Road expansion.

The supervisor, whose district includes Oxnard, hinted that his decision could ultimately hinge on whether the sanitation district can come up with the money to pay for landscaping Bailard once it closes.

“I don’t want it so much to be a park,” Flynn said. “I just want it to be properly closed and I want it to look decent. I just think it’s fair.”

Whitney, manager of the regional sanitation district, said that district officials are willing to talk with Flynn about his proposal. He said some landscaping work is already planned but that it’s possible more could be done.

“These things are doable if the will is there,” he said.

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Landfills Serving Ventura County

With Bailard Landfill in Oxnard facing possible closure in 1996, officials are considering several options for disposing of west county trash. They include expanding Toland Landfill or shipping all of the area’s trash to Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

Landfills:

1. Bailard 2. Toland Road 3. Simi Valley 4. Calabasas: accepts trash from Thousand Oaks 5. Chiquita Canyon: accepts trash from Fillmore, Santa Paula and Piru

Source: Ventura Regional Sanitation District