Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 30, 2009
4. Water Quality –
The North County
By Tom Pfingsten
The Regional Water Quality Control Board was in
The latest in a long history of public forums to address the dump proposal, Wednesday's meeting gave opponents of the project another chance to sound off against the idea of placing a landfill adjacent to the San Luis Rey River.
The board is scheduled to vote on the list of requirements ---- essentially a permit ---- in August. If approved, one of the last major hurdles delaying the project would be removed.
Gregory Canyon Ltd., the company behind the proposed 183-acre solid waste landfill, has said it will build a 6-foot-thick liner beneath the dump, and staff members with the water quality board confirmed Wednesday that the liner would be the most advanced and "conservative" in the state.
But Ruth Harber, a member of RiverWatch and long-time landfill opponent, wasn't convinced.
Holding up a household light bulb, she said the mercury inside such bulbs would make its way into the landfill, which would eventually leak toxic chemicals into the river.
"We will all be glowing, all the way to
Those wary of the canyon's proximity to the San Luis Rey said recent water woes in
During Wednesday's meeting, dozens of people took turns speaking out against the proposed dump, including officials from
"It is my opinion that the No. 1 thing we need to look out for in this county is water quality and water protection, because we're in a drought situation," Slater-Price said. "The need for this landfill does not (outweigh) the many problems ... that could possibly occur."
The proposal calls for a landfill to be built on a 1,770-acre site about three miles east of Interstate 15 and two miles west of the Pala Indian Reservation. The facility would accept 1 million tons of garbage per year for 30 years, and has raised questions about increased traffic on Highway 76, as well as air and water pollution.
Of those issues, water quality has dominated the debate for more than two decades.
According to the water quality board's Web site, the landfill would be able to accept municipal solid waste, inert waste and dewatered sludge, but not hazardous waste.
The issue of how the dump might affect the nearby river was addressed in the document issued by the water quality control board earlier this month.
The waste and waste by-products contained in a landfill would "present a significant threat to water quality in the San Luis Rey River watershed, if those wastes are not properly managed," the report says.
But staff members seemed inclined to believe most of the bases had been covered by Gregory Canyon Ltd. and in the water quality board's tentative requirements.
"I know many of you have doubts about liners," said water quality staffer John Odermatt. "This system is the most conservative liner system in the state of
Still, the doubts persisted.
Lenore Lamb, environmental director for the Pala band of Mission Indians, pointed out that the dangers of landfill pollution do not ease when a dump stops accepting trash.
"We oppose this landfill because it will pose a threat to the water supply for hundreds of years ---- long after the developer is gone," said Lamb.
Several officials asked the water quality board to consider how many
Dave Seymour, general manager of the Rainbow water district, told the five water quality staffers that his district is working on a deal to harvest 3,600 acre-feet of water every year from the San Luis Rey ---- equivalent to 15 percent of the district's annual demand.
An acre-foot is almost 326,000 gallons.
"There is no water out there available to replace the water in the San Luis Rey basin," he said. "I can tell you, as a water professional, that we're looking for water all the time.
"All the assurances in the world, and all the money in the world, aren't going to do any good for the people who need the water," added
Downstream, the river satisfies about 25 percent of
The water quality board will continue accepting comments on the tentative waste discharge requirements through mid-July.#
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