Environment Review Urged for Dump Bid

Worried about trash trucks jamming local freeways, Thousand Oaks officials said Wednesday that they want an environmental analysis done before endorsing a plan to ship more west county trash to the Simi Valley Landfill.

The City Council decided Tuesday night to examine the proposal further before voting whether to join four other cities in a pact to dump their waste exclusively at the landfill.

Although Thousand Oaks cannot prevent other cities from entering into an agreement with the east county landfill, officials hope that those jurisdictions will respect their concerns about approving such an arrangement.

“I don’t think it’s in the other cities’ best interest to snub Thousand Oaks and to start bringing everybody’s trash through our city,” Mayor Andy Fox said. “That’s not fair to Thousand Oaks.”

Fox said his main worry is that Thousand Oaks will suffer the brunt of increased truck traffic and related pollution on its freeways. He said he would like to see an environmental study conducted before a formal agreement is reached.

“It’s not right for Thousand Oaks to look out just for itself,” Fox said. “We have to be good neighbors. But at the same time, we have to protect our own interests.”

Councilman Mike Markey agreed, saying he wants an environmental review done before any action is taken.

“The [problem] is, we’re between the Simi Valley Landfill and everybody else,” he said. “We’re getting all the impacts.”

Increased truck traffic is expected along the Ventura and Moorpark freeways.

The proposal for a joint-powers agreement was prompted in part by the scheduled closure of Bailard Landfill in Oxnard this summer. Faced with the shutdown of that dump, west county cities are scrambling to come up with alternative solutions for waste disposal.

Simi Valley officials, who have long opposed the shipment of more west county trash to their city, changed their position recently because of possible rate reductions for residents. They also oppose the landfill importing more trash from Los Angeles County, which is the only other viable option if the dump is to survive financially.

“Instead of bringing in trash from someplace else, it’s better to get an agreement from your own constituents,” Simi Valley Councilman Bill Davis said.

For this reason, the Simi Valley council voted unanimously Monday to support creation of a joint-powers authority with Camarillo, Moorpark and Ventura, all of which are expected to decide whether to join soon

Moorpark Mayor Paul Lawrason said he wants assurances that trash trucks will remain on freeways and not spill over onto his city’s streets. Still, he said, he likes the prospect that the joint-powers agreement would result in lower trash rates for residents.

“I’m generally supportive of it because of the advantages it will bring to my city,” he said.

Under the proposed terms of the joint-powers agreement, the operator of the Simi Valley Landfill would slash its dumping rates by about 34% in return for an exclusive contract with the participating cities.

The contract would guarantee that at least 1,800 tons per day of Ventura County’s daily output of 2,600 tons of trash would be sent to the east county dump. As part of the deal, the landfill operator would apply for a permit to extend the life of the dump from 2004 to 2013.

Simi Valley officials will present the proposal to the Ventura County Council of Governments today in Camarillo. The council, which includes representatives of the county’s 10 cities, makes nonbinding recommendations on countywide issues.

City Manager Mike Sedell said he will invite all county cities to join the pact, but that he needs commitments by March 1 to seal an agreement with Waste Management, operator of the Simi Valley Landfill.

Sedell said the agreement would ensure that the county would retain what could be its only remaining landfill until 2013. He noted that Camarillo and Ventura already send some trash to the Simi Valley Landfill.

“We see it as good public policy,” he said of the proposed agreement. “It will be unfortunate if others don’t.”

But both Fox and Markey said that west county cities have always had their own landfill to take care of their trash, and that they believe that should continue to be the case.

A proposal to build a new landfill at Weldon Canyon north of Ventura will go before county voters in March. A separate proposal to expand tiny Toland Road Landfill near Santa Paula to handle all west county trash is also being studied.

“The west county needs to bite the bullet to secure a landfill to take care of their own trash,” Fox said.