Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08301988 - 2.1 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order. on August 30, 1988 , by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Powers, Fanden, Torlakson. NOES: None ABSENT: Supervisors Schroder, McPeak ABSTAIN: None SUBJECT: Landfill Capacity The Board received the attached report dated August 25 , 1988 from the Community Development Director analyzing the remaining capacity at existing landfills in Contra Costa County. Board members discussed the information contained in the report, and agreed on the need to further pursue the potential expansion of the Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill (GBF site) . IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the report from the Community Development Director is ACCEPTED. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the report is REFERRED for information to the County Solid Waste Commission, the Mayors ' Conference Subcommittee on Solid Waste Export, all cities and sanitary districts and the Solid Waste Export Policy Board. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Community Development Director is DIRECTED to send letters to the operator of the GBF Landfill, the City of Antioch and the State Department of Toxic Materials requesting a meeting with County staff as soon as possible to discuss possible expansion of the GBF site. I hereby certify that this is a true and corre;t coat•of cc: Community Development Director a"! tV--tion taken and entered or the minutes of the Solid Waste Commission Board of Supervisors on the date shown. Mayors ' Conference ATTESTED: jo /989 Cities ('' �`t. BATCHAOR, Clerk of the Board Sanitary Districts of :supervisors and County Administrator Solid Waste Export Policy Board County Administrator By &L--X4�— Deputy TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM : Harvey E. Bragdon, Contra Director of Community Development C^st^ DATE: August 18 , 1988 @ Coufty SUBJECT: Remaining Capacity at Existing Landfills SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIdN(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION 1 . Accept report from Community Development Director analyzing remaining capacity at existing landfills. 2 . Refer the report for information to the Solid Waste Commis- sion, the Mayors ' Conference Subcommittee on Solid Waste Export, cities and sanitary districts, and the policy board for the proposed solid waste export Memorandum of Under- standing. FINANCIAL IMPACT None. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND On March 8, 1988, the Board requested that the Community Develop- ment Director request information from landfill operators and attected public agencies concerning expansion of existing land- fills. Additionally on June 21 , 1988, the Board requested the Community Development Department to report on the feasibility of expanding Acme Fill by moving the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District outfall and/or re-aligning Waterbird Way. The Community Development Department staff has met and communicated with the various affected parties and has updates{ the remaining capacity of the existing landfills (without expansion) in a detailed report. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES S16NATUR RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF B ARD COMMITTEE A ROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACT 1 ON OF BOARD ON API-'ROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I Y CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND COR T COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS O THE DATE SHOWN. cc: Orig. Dept. Community Develop. ATTESTED PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK O HE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY AD ISTRATOR M382/7-83 By. ___ _,DEPUTY 2 . The result of the report shows that there are no feasible short- term expansions that can be implemented prior to the closure of Acme Fill in early 1989. Even potential longer-term expansion possibilities will require numerous regulatory approvals and may not be politically or technically teasible. Concerning remaining capacity of existing landfills, Acme Fill is estimated to close in early 1989 , the Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill in 1990 or 1991. The West Contra Costa Sanitary Landtill will close in 1992. If the wastes are diverted from Central County to the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill and the Contra Costa Waste - Sani- tary Landfill ( as is likely) , these two landfills will close earlier than expected. It is appropriate for the Board to distribute this report to the Solid Waste Commission, the Mayors ' Conference Committee on Solid Waste Export, all cities and sanitary districts, and the policy board of the proposed Memorandum of Understanding for solid waste export. DBOjjn 154:capacity.brd Orig. Dept. Community Development �• 1 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO: Board of Supervisors DATE: August 25, 1988 FILE: R-38H- FROM: Harvey E. Bragdon, Director of Community Development SUBJECT: Remaining Capacity at County Landfills SUMMARY WEST CONTRA COSTA SANITARY LANDFILL The estimated remaining capacity at the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill (WCCSL) , as of June 1988, is 1,226,000 tons (2,452,000 cubic yards) . The land- fill can serve West .Contra Costa County for approximately 3.5 more years. This landfill will have a shorter site life if additional wastes are diverted to the landfill. Only 1.2 years of capacity is available if the entire County waste stream were diverted to West County and 2.3 years of capacity is available if 1%2 of Central -County waste is diverted to West County. At this time, diversion of Central County waste to West County will be limited to small quantities or none at all due to engineering concerns at the landfill and new waste discharge requirements implemented by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Reports will be completed in October of this year that may indicate whether or not additional wastes can be accepted at the WCCSL. Studies by the landfill owner/ operator, Richmond Sanitary Service, concerning landfill expansion indicate that development of the 12-acre area as a landfill will cost between $195,000 and over $375,000 and will only provide disposal capacity of about 300,000 to 357,000 tons. This equates to about 11-13 months of additional capacity for West County only and 3-4 months of additional capacity for the entire County waste stream. Richmond Sanitary Service states that if public agencies dictate, Richmond Sanitary Service would pursue the expansion only if the costs would be reimbursed through site user fees or if the public agency were to fund all expansion attempt costs. ACME LANDFILL Acme landfill has estimated the remaining capacity at the 97-acre site to be 279,500 tons (559,000 cubic yards) as of April 1988. It was estimated that 7 to 8 months of capacity would be available (January 1989 closure date) , based on disposal rates at that time, before ultimate capacity is reached. Acme's permit request to the Regional Water- Quality Control to expand their operations into a 24-acre site on Acme property and directly adjacent to the current 97-acre site was rejected. No other parcels on the Acme property could be approved and developed within the next year to provide additional capacity. Other alterna- tives were considered, but would take 3-7 years to develop and could involve property acquisition, sewer outfall relocations and placement of fill over former hazardous waste facilities. a r 2. CONTRA COSTA WASTE SANITARY LANDFILL (GBF) A survey of the Contra Costa Waste Landfill (GBF) conducted in December 1987 estimated the remaining capacity to be 600,479 tons (1,200,957 cubic yards) . Based on the 1987 average daily rate of disposal of 584 tpd, the landfill is projected to run out of capacity in about 2.5 years from December 1987 (1990 closure date) . However, the average daily rate for the first half of 1988 has dropped to 358 tpd. If this decreasing trend were to continue, this would shift . the closure date for CCWSL out to about 3.0 to 3.5 years (1991. closure date) . This could be offset by any additional waste diversion to the GBF site from Acme that will increase daily tonnage rates and decrease landfill life. Community Development Department estimates that a 20-foot height increase of the GBF/ Pittsburg site could provide an additional 500,000 tons of capacity. This equates to additional capacity of 2-3 years for current disposal rates or 6 months of capacity for the entire County waste stream. The facility operators have indicated that this proposal is a County proposal and they are not prepared to proceed with the expense of studying a height increase. Additional capacity of 135,000 tons could be obtained by filling the valley that exists between the Antioch and Pittsburg landfills. The 12-acre Antioch site is owned by the City of Antioch, which has indicated that this project could be possible if all environmental and liability questions are answered satisfactorily and required drainage constructed (an obligation of the Seeno Construction Company, and not expected. ;to be completed until well after 1990) . Antioch also indicated that they would be opposed to an height increase. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS WEST CONTRA COSTA SANITARY LANDFILL The current rate of disposal (average daily tonnage) at the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill for the first six months of 1988 is 953 tons per day. This is a slight increase from the first six months of 1987 (944 tons per day) . As of June 30, 1988, the site has an estimated remaining capacity of 1,226,000 tons (2,452,000 cubic yards) . This value is based on a Richmond Sanitary Service capacity report dated January 1988, and first and second quarter waste discharge reports as submitted by Richmond Sanitary Service. This capacity can provide West County with approximately 3.5 years of disposal capacity, or about 1.2 years of capacity for the entire County waste stream. The site operators are projecting a closure date of March 1992. The diversion of additional waste to the West County Landfill will shorten the landfill life expectancy in proportion to the amount of additional wastes dis- posed of above that which is currently being landfilled. Table 1 illustrates the approximate site life based on increased tonnages above current disposal rates. ` V c •` • I fi,�:.So t• .•-1�;�✓T'/��.1'�. � `�\ mac U � N .-. ;� 1 ✓� dam/} ) ��'`,.I�� / \•` � NI LM Ln t ri~° 1 � �• `' r c141 Ot 1 tA • N a ' w�s w 68 4. Table 1: Additional Tonnage and Site Life Reductions West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill Additional Tonnages (tpd) Approximate Site Life (yrs. ) (from June 1988) Current Condition: 950 tpd/3.5 years +100 tpd 3.3 yrs. +300 tpd 2.8 yrs. +500 tpd 2.4 yrs. +600 tpd (1%2 Central Co. ) 2. 1 yrs. +2,800 tpd (entire Co. ) 1.2 yrs. At this time, limited amounts of wastes are being diverted to the West Contra Costa Landfill from the Acme Landfill. Richmond Sanitary Service reports that Orinda-Moraga and Rodeo are disposing of about 45 tpd and 5 tpd respectively at the West County landfill. This additional waste has not substantially increased the quantities of wastes being disposed of at the landfill. Bay View (Kensing- ton) and Bay Cities Refuse (Marin County) companies are no longer disposing at the West County landfill. Their estimated daily tonnage at the landfill was approximately 50 tpd. Therefore, daily tonnages at the landfill have not increased significantly. The West Contra Costa Solid Waste Management Authority (WCCSWMA) is concerned about this current diversion. The Orinda-Moraga and Rodeo trucks are being charged a self-haul rate. The WCCSWMA is concerned that this practice will set a precedent for additional waste diversion to West County and that the disposers are not paying any sort of mitigation fees. They are concerned that West County will bear the costs and impacts brought on by the waste diversions. WCCSWMA has asked Richmond Sanitary Service to investigate imposition of mitigation fees to ` attempt to offset these costs. Litigation is also being considered by WCCSWMA as a means of controlling waste diversion to West County: The Regional Water Quality Control Board has recently imposed new waste dis- charge requirements on the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill. These require- ments include various analyses and programs that must be completed and submitted to the Regional Board. Staff met with Richmond Sanitary Service and Regional Board staff to discuss the new waste discharge requirements and the technical feasibility for additional wastes to be accepted at the landfill. Richmond Sanitary Service has indicated that they may not be able to safely accept addi- tional wastes until after engineering considerations are addressed, and the waste discharge requirements met. Regional Board staff, upon hearing the concerns of the County and Richmond Sanitary Service, indicated that they would review the conditions existing at the site following submittal of reports in October by Richmond Sanitary Service and determine if any additional wastes can be safely disposed of at the landfill. During 1987, Richmond Sanitary Service was required by the State Department of Health Services to cease the pumping of landfill leachate to the West Contra Costa Sanitary District. During this time, the State Department of Health Services was determining whether the leachate was to be classified as a hazard- ous waste. This delay in pumping allowed leachate levels to rise in the land- fill. The State Department of Health Services has now determined the leachate 5. to be non-hazardous and Richmond Sanitary Service has resumed pumping. However, recent resumption of pumping has caused leachate levels to drop, but are still very high. More information regarding the rate of decrease in leachate levels due to pumping will be known later this year. Richmond Sanitary Service indi- cates that as waste is added to the landfill, the leachate in the landfill increase. This increase in pressure could force leachate under the lateral containment facility and through possible sand lenses or, if levels are high enough, over the top of the containment facility and through the clay cap. The location and extent of the sand lenses is unknown at this time. Richmond Sani- tary Service .has indicated .that pursuant to the discharge requirements, the leachate level needs to be lowered to a safe level and soil strata studies completed below the lateral containment facility (to locate the sand lenses) before additional wastes could be accepted. They indicate that a safe amount of additional wastes cannot be determined until after the required studies are completed. In a recent report to the WCCSWMA, as requested by the Board of Supervisors, Richmond Sanitary Service evaluated the expansion potential of the 12-acre portion of the West County landfill referred to as "Area A." The proposed expansion area is located on the southeast corner of the landfill and within the Richmond city limits. In the recent past the area has been used as a rainfall runoff storage area for the municipal landfill. As of the week of May 9, 1988, the area .is being used as a stockpile area for dry soils to be used in the. landfill final capping process. Current plans include the removal of this soil over,. a. 6-year -period for closure purposes. , This stockpile would have to be removed prematurely in order to expand the landfill. Richmond: Sanitary Service indicates that the 12-acre area has been calculated to have an estimated capacity of about 357,000 tons (650,000 cubic yards) if the base of the landfill could be established at elevation zero MSL. If the fill bottom were required to be at elevation 5 MSL, the capacity of the site would be reduced to about 300,000 tons (550,000 cubic yards) . Table 2 shows the 12-acre area potential site life that would be made available and the affects on this time by variations in the waste stream. Table 2: Site Life of 12-Acre Expansion Area West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill Waste Source Capacity (Months) West County Only 11-13 (9 50 tpd) West County and 6-7 500 of Central County (1600 tpd) West County and 5-6 75% of Central County ( 1,925 tpd) 6. According to Richmond Sanitary Service, the time required to analyze and obtain all necessary permits to develop this area for use as a landfill could range from 1 to 2.5 years, excluding the time necessary for the preparation of an EIR if required. The costs of developing this site are estimated to cost between $195,000 to over $375,000, not including the cost for EIR. preparation. Expan- sion of the landfill would require amendments to several key permits, including a land use permit issued by the City of Richmond, a land use permit issued by Contra Costa County, a Solid Waste Facility Permit issued by Contra Costa Coun- ty, Waste Discharge Requirements issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Board and an amendment to the County Solid Waste Management Plan. Other permits may be required from BCDC and the Corps of Engineers. In the report produced by Richmond Sanitary Service, they indicated that they would have doubts about the planning and development costs being considered as reasonable business development expenditures that would be paid by Richmond Sanitary Service. It was also noted that if Richmond Sanitary Service were asked to pursue this venture, they would do so only under an agreement that would allow the costs to be reimbursed through site user fees, even if required permits were not obtained. If the County or any other public agency were to ask Richmond Sanitary Service to pursue this project, it was recommended that the County or agency fund the expansion and if approved, be reimbursed through user fees. ACME LANDFILL The disposal rate for the first quarter of 1988 is equal to 1,200 tpd (average daily rate) . This value is down slightly from the 1987 average daily rate of 1,263 tpd. As stated previously, Acme has calculated their remaining capacity to be 279,500 tons (559,000 cubic yards) as of April .1988. By carrying the first quarter disposal rate out for the remainder of the year, the projected closure date of the 97-acre site would be the end of December 1988. Acme has indicated that they will conduct another survey at the site in November of this year. In doing so, new projections of the 97-acre closure date will be deter- mined based on the actual filling of the landfill. Daily tonnage figures for the month of July and future months could show a slight decrease in the amount of waste being disposed of at the Acme landfill. Approximately 100-150 tpd of waste has been diverted away from the Acme land- fill. The City of Benicia, which has in the past disposed of all of its waste at Acme landfill, is now disposing at least 1/3 of its waste in Solano County. Orinda-Moraga and Rodeo have begun diverting a total quantity of approximately 50 tpd to the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill according to Richmond Sanitary Service. Antioch' s waste (=160 tpd) and a portion of the Martinez waste stream (=20 tpd) is now being disposed of at the Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill (GBF site) . Approximately 30 percent, or 100 tpd, of the City of Concord' s waste stream is also being diverted to the GBF site. Reductions iri waste quantities coming to Acme of approximately 150-200 tpd could extend the life of the 97-acre site by as much as one month, thus moving the closure date from the first of January to the end of January. 7. I �p 6-2 : ACME FILL SITE PLAN N T 6Vate� �� NORTH EAST. f \I To o PARCEL 1 PARCEL Waterfront Road j� I.T.CORP, PROPERTY BOUNDARY I � a PACHECO CREEK To Martinez, d MARTINEZ �Qo3 GUN CLUB J O _ O SOUTH PARCEL�� �. 680 V �j BORROW AREA To Concord 0 1000 2000 3000 SCALE IN FEET Harding Lawson Associates Location Plan PLATE Enqineers. G;:oiogists & Geophys�cists Acme Landfill ! Martinez, C.fliffornia JNAWN 108 NUMBER Avvnrl.'f.0 OAT ✓ TE. S E329,GOS.000t 8. J `-The Acme Fill Corporation permit request to the Regional Water Quality Control Board to expand their landfill operations onto a 24-acre site adjacent to the 97-acre east parcel currently in use was denied on August 17. This expansion, if approved, would have provided approximately 2.2 years of disposal capacity (970,000 tons/1,940,000 cubic yards according to Acme) for Central County wastes (based on current tonnage rates) or approximately 11-12 months of capacity for the entire County. Acme has investigated several scenarios to determine if. any additional capacity could be obtained on the Acme landfill property. •. One such alternative would involve the filling of the valley between the north and east parcels, between and north of the two access bridges. This alternative would be carried out in a phased approach. Initial development would require permit modifications and the relocation of Central Contra Costa Sanitary District's (CCCSD's) outfall, fol- lowed by landfill liner construction and eventual filling of the valley. This scenario would provide approximately 1.3 million tons of capacity. Acme has had only preliminary conversations with CCCSD concerning the relocation of their outfall line. There may be difficulties in modifying landfill permits, because of potential environmental impacts involved. Refuse would also be placed on the side slopes of a portion of the north parcel, which is considered a hazardous waste site by the State Department of Health Services. Clearance from the State Department of Health Services would be required before the project could com- mence. This project is of major significance and would be expensive and take considerable time to plan. A second alternative was also considered by Acme Fill Corp. This involves the filling of the valley between the north parcel and the hill to the west of the Acme Landfill. An estimated 3.74 million tons of capacity could be generated. However, the relocation of Waterbird Way and the Martinez sewer connector to the west side of the ridgeline would have to take place before filling could take place. .. Several years would be required to engineer and construct the expansion. The project might also require the completion of an EIR/EIS. The question also rises again about the ability to fill over areas declared as hazardous waste sites. Permits or modification of existing permits would also be required. Potential cost estimates for either alternative were not determined by Acme Fill, but because of the significance of the projects the costs would be high. Neither project can be considered a short-term solution to gain additional capacity. It is also questionable as to whether these alternatives would qual- ify as viable long-term solutions. CONTRA COSTA WASTE SANITARY LANDFILL (GBF) The average daily tonnage for the first two quarters of 1988 is currently 358 tpd, resulting in a projected closure date of 1991 for the GBF site (3-3.5 years of landfill capacity from 12/87) , based on the current disposal figure. The 1987 average daily tonnage was 584 tons per day. This figure generates a pro- jected closure date of 1990 (2.3 years from December, 1987) . Increases in the daily tonnage rate decrease the longevity of the landfill. Table 3 illustrates the affects of varying tonnages on landfill life. 9. STANDARD -.. OII. w CO. �' x _�. � ter•.. . /CO' iyq`j r)p : 1 �. •yc°p {QW ',.'"•�. �:xt mow.:f:.,. �, �--,—.—•. • Y _ {_'' �.• `c,e?� .,.. ter.v+��'-;,C'2_•.:/ t �,• \\\\\\ Y-}a�CiN 5' ..•. -l:•f to;A5— I.:. 4�,r L Ifs iart,:�.. ..�C:iu "^� �'.r„s aL.'✓ n�-� • ` `q7 C O.v000 .ti� l! 1.3 \\ /'�o'n i�iv'vi. i f{_".• 1^7ii:i•I:✓ji_"..j.vr i-•tJ of .,• A 1 Y 1 I Q C-17 • y: I CONTRA COSTA WASTE i PITTSBURG SANITARY LANDFILL / (25 acres (50 acres) ( 12 Acrd A ;; �^a t •-., NTIOCK• /� •, 40 • i U � r t � Sct E / Map 6-4 Antioch, Pittsburg . and Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill Site Plan ° it �.-.—} =" •. ., __ -_".`1� I; rSY�q ''":� � • ,. tat f —tip• 10. Table 3: Tonnage Variance and Resulting Site Life Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill TPD Site Life (yrs. ) 1st Quarter 1988 392 3.0 - 3.5 1987 Ave. Daily Rate 584 2.5 300 4.3 Range. 400 3.3 of 500 2.8 Values 600 2.3 700 1.5 920 (East Co. & Concord) 1.8 1,230 (East Co. & 1/2 Central) 1.3 2,800 (Entire Co. ) 0.6 Site life is from December 1987, date of last survey conducted at landfill. Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill is currently accepting wastes that are being diverted from the Acme Landfill. Antioch's waste (=160 tpd). and a portion of the City of Martinez waste stream (=20 tpd) is now being diverted to the GBF site. .. A..portion. of .the. City of Concord' s waste (=300 or :zi00 tpd) is also being diverted to GBF from the Acme Landfill. As stated previously, any quantity of waste that will increase the average daily tonnage will decrease the total capacity of the landfill at a greater rate. The Board of Supervisors asked the owners of the Contra Costa Waste Sanitary Landfill to study the feasibility of increasing the current estimated closure height of 240 feet to a new closure height of 260 feet. County staff has cal- culated that this height increase could provide an additional 500,000 tons of capacity or an additional 3.4 years of capacity at current GBF Landfill disposal rates. Initially, the owners agreed to perform the necessary studies, but later indicated that they would not provide this information due to the great expense of analysis and the limited capacity that would be provided by raising the final closure height by only 20 feet. They felt that the only practical height in- crease would be one of approximately 60 feet, resulting in a final closure elevation of 300 feet. The owners were concerned that approving a landfill expansion without approving a new landfill might cause the County to overlook the current need to avert a solid waste crisis. A final concern voiced by the landfill owner was that as the landfill closure height is raised, the potential uses of the facility, once closed, become limited or nonexistent. The City of Antioch was asked to explore the possibility of upgrading and uti- lizing the Old Antioch Landfill in conjunction with the Pittsburg/GBF site. If the valley in between the two sites were filled, an estimated 135,000 tons (270,000 cubic yards) of capacity could be obtained. Antioch has indicated that the ravine cannot be filled until proper drainage facilities are constructed in conjunction with the James Donlon Boulevard extension through the southern tip of the old landfill. These facilities are not expected to commence until well after 1990. The old Antioch landfill is now closed and has not received waste for many years. No permits currently exist for this site. To use this site again would require a land use permit from the City of Antioch, a Regional Water Quality Control board permit, Bay Area Air Quality Management District permit, Solid . Waste Management Plan Amendment and a Solid Waste Facilities Permit. Antioch has also indicated that they are concerned about the environmental and liability aspects of any proposal to reactivate the old Antioch site. If this proposal were pursued, the city would want some guaranteed method of protection from liability exposure, assuming the environmental aspects have been thoroughly considered and are found acceptable. Antioch has also expressed strong opposi- tion to any increase in the height of the GBF/Pittsburg site and would expect a complete environmental review of any proposals to increase the landfill height or utilize additional capacity at the Old Antioch Landfill site. If you have any questions, contact Eric Whan at 646-4194. EW/jn 153:bos.mem