Title
Body
MEMORANDUM
TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Lars Ewing, Public Services Director
DATE: October 31, 2017
SUBJECT: Consideration of potential use of Eastlake Landfill as a final disposal location for debris generated from the 2017 wildfires located outside of Lake County
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Public Services staff has been contacted by Environmental and Chemical Consulting, Inc. (ECC), the contractor tasked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the cleanup operations in both Lake and Mendocino County, as well as the Mendocino County Environmental Health Department, about the possibility of the Eastlake Landfill in Clearlake being used as a final disposal location for fire debris generated from both the public and private fire debris cleanup operations in Mendocino County. While the Eastlake Landfill is prepared to accept the fire debris from the Sulphur Fire in Lake County, there are concerns with the proposal to accept fire debris from Mendocino County because of the amount of remaining permitted airspace capacity at the landfill. Nevertheless, given the unique circumstances surrounding the basis for the requests I felt it was important that the Board of Supervisors consider the issue.
The Eastlake Landfill is steadily approaching the maximum capacity for the portion of land that has been developed, permitted, and is currently being used for solid waste disposal. The most recent disposal capacity estimate indicates that the landfill will reach maximum capacity in approximately eight to ten years. While work is currently in progress for a landfill expansion that will increase that capacity by 20-25 years, that process is expected to take six to seven years until the landfill is fully permitted and constructed to the point that it will be ready to accept the first load of solid waste in the expansion area. Furthermore, based on our experience from the 2015-2017 wildfires the debris we can expect to receive from the Redwood Valley Fire would consume landfill space equivalent to that of approximately one year of “normal” solid waste operations.
In light of the diminishing airspace capacity and projected expansion timeline it is my recommendation that the Eastlake Landfill not accept fire debris from outside Lake County. However, should the Board decide otherwise, the Board must take action to allow for that acceptance as Lake County code limits the use of the landfill to inhabitants of Lake County or a firm or corporation that has an established place of business in Lake County unless exempted by the Board of Supervisors.
FISCAL IMPACT: _X_ None __Budgeted __Non-Budgeted
Estimated Cost: N/A
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Requested:
Annual Cost (if planned for future years): N/A
FISCAL IMPACT (Narrative):
If accepted at the Eastlake Landfill, fire debris from the Redwood Valley Fire is estimated to provide revenue in the range of three to four million dollars.
STAFFING IMPACT (if applicable):
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors take no action and allow staff to communicate to the appropriate entities that Eastlake Landfill cannot be used as a disposal location for any fire debris from any 2017 wildfire outside of Lake County.