Landfill expansion application deemed complete
County says it probably will require a new Enviornmental Impact Report
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

The proposed expansion of the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center is one step closer to fruition after the Ventura County Planning Department deemed Waste Management's application for the project complete last week.

The waste hauler's proposal calls for more than tripling the size of the existing site, doubling the disposal area to 371 acres and doubling the daily disposable trash intake to 6,000 tons.

If approved, the expansion would also include relocating G.I. Rubbish from its current site on W. Los Angeles Avenue to the landfill site off Madera Road in order to consolidate services.

Dan Klemann, a senior planner with Ventura County, said his department has until Dec. 20 to determine what type of environmental document will be required to move forward with the application.

"It's most likely going to require an Environmental Impact Report," Klemann said. "We haven't made a formal determination yet, but I can say with pretty good confidence that it's likely."

The initial application for what WM calls the "modernization and expansion" of the landfill was submitted April 13 but was deemed incomplete due to the county's request for additional information.

WM resubmitted its application in late September, after including additional documents which were necessary to meet California Environmental Quality Act standards.

According to an official statement, WM revised the application to include specific details concerning new facilities, use of sewer lines and the methodology used in reporting calculations and forecasts.

Mike Smith, WM general manager for Ventura County, said in the statement: "Now that the application has been accepted, we are looking forward to getting community input on the scope and substance of the EIR."

Kit Cole, WM spokesperson, told the Simi Valley Acorn in September that the company already committed to hiring a thirdparty consultant to complete a new and full EIR when the time comes, even if the county does not require it.

Klemann said that once the EIR is completed, it is published for public review and sent through the county planning commission.

Simi Valley neighborhood councils and the city planning commission will also review the project before the City Council makes a recommendation to the county.

The city's newly adopted "extraterritorial review process" deals with projects that are of city interest but are outside its direct sphere of influence.

If all goes smoothly, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors could be voting on the proposal by next November, Klemann said.