LAKE VIEW TERRACE : Meeting on Renewal of Landfill Permit

A community meeting on the possibility of extending the life of Lopez Canyon Landfill will be held at 7 tonight at the landfill, 11950 Lopez Canyon Road.

Over opposition from community members, the city extended the landfill’s operating permit by five years in 1991, setting aside a $5-million amenities fund to benefit surrounding communities impacted by the continued operation.

Although the extension period expires next year, the landfill is not yet filled to capacity, and could accommodate another 3 million tons of trash, officials said.

As a result, the sanitation officials have recommended a second five-year extension.

Citing a recent study conducted by an independent accounting firm, officials said the city would save nearly $56 million by extending the life of the landfill until 2001.

The report states that extending the life of the landfill would be cheaper than shipping trash by rail or trucking it to landfills outside the city.

Sanitation officials commissioned the study after Councilman Richard Alarcon and others criticized an earlier report citing savings of $72 million if the landfill’s operating period is extended.

The city collects and dumps about 5,000 tons of refuse a day, and trucks most of it to the 400-acre Lopez Canyon site in Lake View Terrace.

The city’s Board of Public Works, which oversees operation of the landfill, is currently considering whether to file an application to extend the landfill’s operation.

The application must be approved by the city’s Planning Commission and the City Council.