MESSAGE FROM LUIS ALEJO
Here’s the latest on the new waste management center (“EcoPark”) that the county is planning to put in the Watsonville area. 100 percent of the proposed sites are in South County. Had the County Public Works Dept. proposed sites in mid or north county, residents of those parts would be in an uproar. I attached my letter to the County Board of Supervisors below the article.
ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE SENTINEL
The Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 13, 2007
Critics bash study recommending ‘EcoPark’ in South CountyBy Genevieve BookwalterSentinel staff writer
SANTA CRUZ – The county’s Public Works Department on Tuesday unveiled its top seven proposed sites for an “EcoPark,” which officials said would eventually recycle and compost 100 percent of the county’s trash.
All seven sites were in the Pajaro Valley, and most were clustered around the Buena Vista Landfill.
That was good news for Supervisor Tony Campos, who represents Watsonville and South County, and other supervisors who would like to see the new trash facilities located near the old ones.
“I think it’s important that we really concentrate on the Buena Vista [Landfill] area,” Campos said. That way “we wouldn’t have to have stuff all over the county”
Supervisors and staff are looking for about 25 acres on which to build an EcoPark, which would recycle and compost the county’s 600 tons of daily trash after the Buena Vista Landfill fills up in about 16 years. Officials said they are banking on future technology to meet the 100-percent goal.
The new project follows the 2004 defeat of a proposed new landfill to serve unincorporated county residents. That time, 23 sites were proposed, and all were shot down. Opponents cited traffic, noise and water pollution concerns, among others. The outcome left supervisors in a lurch, scrambling to figure out plans to dispose of the county’s garbage after the Buena Vista dump closes.
The solution, they decided, was to build an EcoPark to recycle the trash instead of burying it. But the location remains an issue.
Supervisor Ellen Pirie worried on Tuesday that most of the proposed sites are in the coastal zone, and would require approval from the California Coastal Commission. That, she said, can be difficult to get.
“I’m not at all saying I’m against it, but let’s be realistic,” Pirie said.
Others listed traffic issues as a reason to write off an additional site on Highway 129 for composting only.
“I think you can get your mind off of 129, because that will not fly,” Campos said.
But still others, like Watsonville attorney and activist Luis Alejo, who helped fight the landfill in 2004, do not want the EcoPark in South County at all.
“This is completely unacceptable and is another example of the county looking at South County as a dumping ground,” Alejo wrote in a letter to the Board of Supervisors.
The final decision on a site is a long way off. Public Works plans to hold meetings on the project this summer in each supervisor’s district, and should return to the board in September with a list of final recommendations. Those sites will undergo environmental review before a decision is made.
To buy some time, supervisors this spring approved a 30-year deal with Monterey County to truck 24,000 to 26,000 tons of garbage each year from the Ben Lomond Transfer Station to a landfill in Marina. That extended the life of the Buena Vista dump from 12 to 16 years.
But Monterey County officials have stressed that the Marina landfill is not a permanent solution for Santa Cruz County’s garbage woes.
Contact Genevieve Bookwalter at mailto:gbookwalter@santacruzsentinel.com?subject=Critics.
Possible sites for an EcoPark?
The county is looking at the following sites in the Pajaro Valley for a proposed recycling and compost center:
496 Harkins Slough Road.
Riverside Drive east of Highway 1.
West of Buena Vista Landfill on Buena Vista Drive.
Two sites south of the Airport Boulevard exit off Highway 1.
One site made up of two parcels near Buena Vista Landfill.
A portion of the city of Watsonville’s landfill, which is near Buena Vista Landfill.
SOURCE: Santa Cruz County Public Works
LETTER TO THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
June 10, 2007
County Board of Supervisors
701 Ocean Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
Re: Concerns regarding proposed sites
Item 32. Long Range Resources Recovery and Waste Management Plan
Dear Board of Supervisors,
On behalf of the Student Empowerment Project based in Watsonville, I am writing to express my serious concerns about equity and the fairness regarding the limited sites that were reviewed as part of the county report entitled, “Long Range Resource Recovery and Waste Management Facilities (EcoPark) Planning Facility Functionality and Overview of Site Considerations.”
The report divulges that ALL of the primary and preferred sites for the future county waste management center (aka EcoPark) are in the South County area. The memorandum from the County Public Works Department (dated 6/8/07) states:
“The more preferred EcoPark sites are summarized to include:
The Buena Vista Landfill property and/or a smaller grouping of sites adjacent to or in the region of the Buena Vista landfill.
The sites at Airport Road exit and the site adjacent and south of the Airport Road exit.
The site on the south side of Riverside Drive, adjacent to the old ‘Bus Barn’ site, near the City of Watsonville
A variety of possible sites at the Highway 129 exit of Highway 1.
The more preferred compost/bulky materials processing areas include:
The site on Harkins Slough Road which had previously been used as a swine facility.
Sites in the foothills of the eastern edge of the Pajaro Valley, east of Watsonville .
A variety of sites at the Highway 129 exit of Highway 1.
The sites at Airport Road exit and the site adjacent and south of the Airport Road Exit”.
AGAIN, 100 PERCENT OF THESE SITES ARE IN SOUTH COUNTY AREA! All the sites in other parts of the county have been ELIMINATED (including the Drive-In Theatre/Flea Market, North Side of Soquel Drive, and Southside of Soquel Avenue). There were only 3 sites North or Mid County that were reviewed, although the Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) regarding the landfill originally looked at 31 areas throughout the county. There were no other sites considered in North or Mid County although more sites were possible, whereas 11 sites are in the South County area.
This equates to 79 percent of sites reviewed are in the South County area and only 21 percent are in Mid or North County areas. In addition, the old Birdseye Foods site in Watsonville was eliminated, but the concept remains under consideration (see page 50 of report).
THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE COUNTY LOOKING AT SOUTH COUNTY AS A DUMPING GROUND. Recycling, composting and minimizing the amount of waste that goes to the Marina Landfill are much needed and laudable goals. It is certainly what the county should be doing, but why does South County always have the bear the burden for the entire county? Why don’t other parts of the county step up to take responsibility or be seriously considered? South County has already dealt with the county’s landfill needs for decades at Buena Vista. It’s time for other parts of the county to step up.
It is appalling that the County Public Works Department thinks it perfectly fine to look at South County as a good place to put its recyclables/compost and transload/transfer county trash. Having to deal with the county’s waste and recyclables wasn’t part of the vision of our General Plan in Watsonville and is certainly something we did not envision for the Pajaro Valley. As some studies have pointed out, waste management centers, recycling centers, and landfills are frequently placed near communities of color.
With limited land available in South County, the amount of acres would be put to better use on other pressing needs rather than for it to go to a county waste management center. In addition, these sights raise nuisance, traffic, litter and other serious concerns.
I understand that that there will be several meetings throughout the county over the summer, but I would urge you to have the County Public Works Department immediately look at more possible sides in mid and north county. A failure to do so, will only guarantee that your future waste management center will be placed in South County. This is an issue of equity, fairness and social justice for the people of the Pajaro Valley.
I look forward to hearing from you soon regarding these serious concerns. I can be contacted at (831) 726-6032 or at laalejo@msn.com. Thanks for you attention to the issues raised in this letter.
Sincerely,
LUIS A. ALEJO, ESQ.Director
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