2-9-2011 Los Angeles-area Trash Likely Trucked into North County - News Article
By Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin, Imperial Valley Press
Tons of trash could head down Imperial County roads north of Brawley.
Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County asked the county for permission to truck up to 4,000 tons of trash and ash per day from its sites in Los Angeles County.
On Wednesday, the county’s Planning Commission approved the plan, though a final decision will come from the county’s Board of Supervisors in about 30 days, said Planning Director Armando Villa.
The Mesquite Regional Landfill, located five miles east of Glamis, was originally permitted in 1996, said county Planner Richard Cabanilla. The public utility company is constructing a rail spur at both its Los Angeles and Imperial counties sites, which should be completed in 2012.
It will be the state’s first waste-by-rail landfill, said Janet Coke, project manager with the sanitation district. The landfill is currently ready to accept waste — construction having finished in 2008 — and trucks would give the district a long-term economic solution, should the district’s relationship with Union Pacific Railroad sour.
Some on the commission were concerned with the route chosen — Highway 86 to Bannister Road to Rutherford Road and down to Highway 78.
However, others in the Brawley community were happy the trucks wouldn’t fly down Main Street.
Brawley Mayor Don Campbell said he didn’t think the route would have much of an effect on the city as it is on the outskirts.
Talk a few years ago had been to have about 200 trucks a day going down the city’s Main Street, so he’s not opposed to the new route, he said. The street is already highly affected by the commercial trucks that can’t bypass the area.
However, some were concerned about the impact to the area.
Linsey Dale, executive director of the Imperial County Farm Bureau, said that though the bureau hasn’t taken a stance against the project, she is concerned about how farmers in the area will be impacted. More trucks on the mediocre county roads could increase risks of accidents, especially with the large farm equipment in that area, she said.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
