HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11171992 - 1.113 03
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - '• Contra
FROM: HARVEY E. BRAGDON Costa
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT County
DATE: NOVEMBER 9, 1992
SUBJECT: CURRENT SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL DESTINATION
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION
Accept staff report.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
The Supervisors, as a Board and individually, have requested
periodic status reports on where the County's solid waste is being
disposed. The rapidly changing solid waste situation throughout
1992 has made reporting on this one subject difficult, but even
more so when information on other changing aspects of solid waste
management is also being sought. This report is a response to one
of the board's inquiries of May 19, 1992 . It is updated through
the end of October to cover the cessation of large volume disposal
at the Acme Fill landfill and the commensurate resumption of
large-scale export to the Potrero Hills Landfill in Solano County.
The report is organized in two parts: a summary, with graphics and
commentary, and a narrative description with tables.
SUMMARY/GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
Figure 1
Figure 1 is a 9-year overview of waste brought to Contra Costa
County facilities for disposal. It generally shows that there has
been a long-term decline in the absolute amount of waste being
handled at in-County landfills and the Acme transfer station. The
decline has occurred despite a substantial increase in the County's
population.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE 4
ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RE O NDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN
AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISOR ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact: Charles Zahn (510/646-2096) ATTESTED v/
cc: Community Development Department (CDD) P IL BATCHELOR, C-LEkK OF
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
BY� DEPUTY
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Current Solid Waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Two
Figure 2
Figure 2 shows the disposition of solid wastes brought to the Acme
Fill facility since December 1989, when the transfer station
opened and waste began to be exported to the Altamont Landfill in
Alameda County. During the period, waste was also received at the
West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill and, through March, 1992, at
the Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill.
It is evident that the December, 1989, to December, 1991, period
was relatively stable. Most waste was transferred to the Altamont
Landfill for the two years that the export agreement was in effect.
Some waste continued to be landfilled at the Acme site until April,
1991, when the three-year export agreement with the Potrero Hills
Landfill in Solano County went into effect. Landfilling at the
Acme facility then became negligible for the remainder of the
period.
After termination of the Altamont Landfill export agreement in
mid-December, 1991, landfilling resumed at the Acme facility and
transfer to the Potrero Hills landfill increased (the previous
daily cap on transfer tonnages was revised) to adjust for the loss
of export to Alameda County. Direct disposal at the Acme landfill
and transfer to the Potrero Hills Landfill increased further when
the Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill closed at the end of March,
1992 .
After the Keller Canyon Landfill opened on May 7, 1992 , it began to
receive approximately the same amount of solid waste that
previously had been sent to the Altamont Landfill. Export to the
Potrero Hills Landfill dropped to a level somewhat higher than the
tonnages transferred there while the Altamont export agreement was
in effect. Landfilling at the Acme landfill dropped from the
extreme levels of April-May, 1992 (between the closing of the
Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill and the opening of the Keller Canyon
Landfill) , but continued at high levels until the end of September,
1992 .
Additional Comments
Figure 2 does not show solid waste transfer to the Contra Costa
Sanitary Landfill (e.g. , 120 tons/day) during early 1992 or waste
diverted to the on-site composting facility.
Beginning on September 27 , 1992 , landfilling at the Acme landfill
reverted to negligible levels. The cessation of disposal there was
essentially compensated by an increase in export to the Potrero
Hills Landfill.
Figure 3
Figure 3 depicts the absorption of allowable disposal capacity at
the Potrero Hills Landfill -- during the last year of a three-year
export agreement. It shows that waste is being exported to that
facility at a high level that will absorb the allowable capacity in
less than a year.
CURRENT WASTE FLOW DESCRIPTION
The flow of Contra Costa County's solid waste from its points of
origin to its points of disposal underwent several major shifts
between the early 1980s and the present. The period started with
three sub-regional landfills essentially serving their respective
areas of the County and accessed by direct haul. It ended with one
landfill closed (Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill) , one virtually at
capacity (Acme) , one with about two years of service (West Contra
Costa Sanitary Landfill) , one new landfill opened (Keller) ,
continued export (Potrero Hills) , and most waste being transferred
through the Acme Interim Transfer Station. In between, export
became dominant for about. two years and diversion, including
recycling, became a major factor. The period of the last 10
months, however, has been the most changeable time of the last
dozen years.
Current Solid waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Three
Figure 1
WASTE DISPOSAL & POPULATION GROWTH
Cona-a Costa Councy. 1983-1991
3500
cc
1° 3000 900,000
(U
a
o z
0 0
v H
a 25CO 750,000 a
� a
0 0
ra
H 600,000
U)
3
L500
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1994 1991
--M-ALL LANDFILLS/TRANSFER STATIONS
--W- POPULATION
Wass di.-spoal saane: Carity Cam=ty DLuelopJs Dept.
Pbpulatim data soave: CaLifa is Dept. of Fhmme
Current Solid Waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Four
Figure 2
TONS YE-Tf2 MONTH
Thousaaad�.
C O O O O
z to
n
N �
Z
Z o
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v cl)
r 3rn
Z o
3 O m
� rn 0 �
o �
o � D
r
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o�
N
Current Solid Waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Five
Figure 3
POTRERO LANDFILL CAPACITY ABSORPTION
FINAL EXPORT YEAR(5/92 - 4/93)
90
Q 80 88,500 tons/year export
limi t
70
H 60
w �
z0 54
a 40
0 34
0
� E24
10
3
0
5/92 6/92 7/92 8/92 9/92 10/92 11/92 12/92 1/93 2/93 3/93 4/93
® MONTHLY BASE(CUMULATIVE PRIOR TRANSFER)
® MONTHLY INCREMENT
Notes:
1. Export years begin on April 27.
2. The May base consists of 1964 excess tons transferred in export year
1991-1992 and 2546 tons transferred between April 27 and April 30, 1992..
Source: Monthly billings, Potrero Hills Landfill, Inc. , via Solano County
(October, personal communication) compiled by the Contra Costa
County Community Development Department.
November, 1992
I
I
Current Solid Waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Six
The five situations which characterized the December, 1991 through
October, 1992 period are described below. They are summaries
because the destinations of the components of the wastestream
changed more often than the tables indicated. The figures are
approximations. In this part of the report, weekly waste amounts
are averaged over a 5-day week which better reflects the activity
of typical high-tonnage weekday workdays.
Onset of Waste Transfer and Export
At the beginning of December, 1991, the waste flow described below
was typical of the situation which prevailed since April, 1990 when
the Potrero Hills Export Agreement went into effect (complementing
the Altamont export agreement which became operative in December,
1989) :
TABLE 1
1, 000 tons/day Transfer to Altamont Landfill (Alameda County)
200 tons/day Transfer to Potrero Hills Landfill (Solano County)
730 tons/day Direct to CC Sanitary Landfill (GBF/Pittsburg)
1, 060 tons/day Direct haul to West CC Sanitary Landfill
0 tons/day Direct haul to Acme Fill LF (0 to 100 tons/day)
2 , 990 tons/day,
5-day week
Expiration of Altamont Export and Adjustment
Then, in mid-December, 1991, the export agreement with Alameda
County expired, preventing waste from being transferred to the
Altamont Landfill. Its loss was compensated by increasing the
wastestream diverted to the Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill (6
transfer vans daily from the Acme Transfer Station and direct haul
from Antioch) and by accelerating the transfer of wastes to the
Potrero Hills Landfill in Solano County. By early 1992 , the waste
flow in rough terms was:
TABLE 2
600 tons/day Transfer/export to Potrero Hills Landfill
120 tons/day Transfer/diversion to CC Sanitary Landfill
900 tons/day Direct haul to CC Sanitary Landfill
850 tons/day Direct haul to West CC Sanitary Landfill
380 tons/day Direct haul to Acme Fill Landfill
2 , 850 tons/day,
5-day week
Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill Closure and Adjustment
The next shift in waste flow occurred on April 1, 1992, following
the closing of the Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill. Until the
opening of the Keller Canyon Landfill on May 7 , 1992 , the following
distribution was characteristic of the period:
TABLE 3
650 tons/day Transfer/export to Potrero Hills Landfill
900 tons/day Direct haul to West CC Sanitary Landfill
1, 400 tons/day Direct haul to Acme Fill landfill
2 , 950 tons/day,
5-day week
i
Current Solid Waste Disposal Destination
Continued - Page Seven
Keller Canyon Landfill Opening and Adjustment
After the Keller Canyon Landfill opened, waste disposal there
started at about 400 tons/day and built up to about 1, 100 tons/day.
In setting interim disposal rates for the Keller Canyon Landfill
and adjusted rates for the Acme Transfer Station, the County Board
urged keeping the Solano County Potrero Hills Export Agreements in
effect by continuing to send some waste there. The distribution
prevailing from then to the end of September is summarized as:
TABLE 4
350 tons/day Transfer/export to Potrero Hills Landfill
1, 100 tons/day Transfer to Keller Canyon Landfill
850 tons/day Direct haul to West CC Sanitary Landfill
600 tons/day Direct haul to Acme Fill landfill
2 , 900 tons/day,
5-day week
Acme Fill Landfill Intake Reduction and Adjustment
At the end of September, the Acme Fill landfill reduced its intake
to negligible levels. The wastestream which had been landfilled
was then largely sent through the Acme transfer station for
disposal. The primary destination was the Potrero Hills Landfill.
In October, .1992 , then, the distribution of the wastestream being
sent to the permitted waste processing and disposal facilities in
Contra Costa County was approximately the following:
TABLE 5
850 tons/day Transfer/export to Potrero Hills Landfill
1, 080 tons/day Transfer to Keller Canyon Landfill
.850 tons/day Direct haul to West CC Sanitary Landfill (est. )
0 tons/day Direct haul to Acme LF (23 t/d to composting fac. )
2 , 750 tons/day,
5-day week
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