Big changes planned for county landfill

Sonoma County’s Central Landfill will be a buzz of activity in the coming months as the site’s private operator invests millions of dollars to upgrade and expand the 44-year-old facility.|

Tucked into the hills northwest of Petaluma, Sonoma County’s Central Landfill will be a buzz of activity in the coming months as the site’s private operator invests millions of dollars to upgrade and expand the 44-year-old facility.

The work, which includes construction of a new recycling facility and the addition of an estimated seven years of capacity, is part of a 25-year agreement between Sonoma County and private operator Republic Services that went into effect on April 1.

While questions remain surrounding the ongoing operation and potential relocation of an on-site composting facility run by a separate entity, the new long-term contract with Phoenix-based Republic represents something of a comeback for Sonoma County’s only working landfill. The State Water Resources Control Board had forced the formerly county-run site to shut down in 2005 following evidence of an underground leak. Republic was first hired to operate the landfill on a limited basis in 2010.

“Anything we build is going to have a liner system designed by us and the water board. It’s basically a double-membrane system,” said Rick Downey, Republic’s division manager in charge of the site, describing the project to expand capacity. “We’re building a system that, from bottom to top, is 12 feet thick.”

As work at the Central Landfill continues in Petaluma’s backyard, the city’s ratepayers are largely unaffected. Petaluma has had its curbside waste hauled to Novato’s Redwood Landfill since a regular contract renewal in 2005, tying Petaluma garbage rates and policies to the Marin County facility.

Petaluma approved its most recent 15-year contract for curbside service with a subsidiary of the Ratto Group, Petaluma Refuse and Recycling, in 2012. The city continues to have its garbage hauled to northern Marin, which it argues translates to curbside rates that are cheaper than the county average.

“Our job is to look out for what’s best for the ratepayers. It’s closer and cheaper,” said Gabe Kearney, Petaluma city councilman. “For greenhouse gas emissions, for wear and tear on our roads, it’s better for us.”

Petaluma in September voted to stop directing compostable material to the site located at the Central Landfill and launch an expanded yard and food waste program with material hauled to Marin. The decision essentially distanced Petaluma ratepayers from issues facing the Sonoma County compost site, which could face a shutdown if unable to satisfy regulators with expanded capacity to catch rainwater runoff by October.

The Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, which runs the compositing site through a private contractor, is looking at spending up to $1.5 million to add three million gallons of capacity to catch rainwater runoff. The agency spent $400,000 to build a two million gallon pond at the site last year, but heavy rains in January still allowed approximately 600,000 gallons of water to escape, said Henry Mikus, the agency’s executive director.

It could cost up to $3 million per year if compost is instead hauled to facilities outside of the county, Mikus said. That cost would ultimately flow to the county’s ratepayers, with the exception of those in Petaluma.

The agency is actively searching for a new location for the 20-year-old composting facility, which absorbs more than a quarter of the waste that would otherwise go to the landfill or a composting facility outside of the county, Mikus said.

“Everybody knew this was going to be temporary. We just didn’t think it was going to be 20 years temporary,” Mikus said. “The best way to do it is to build a new one, and to do it right.”

Several sites are currently under consideration, including one elsewhere on the landfill property, he said. A decision by the joint powers authority governing the agency on a new site is expected later this year.

The county still maintains ownership of the landfill itself, while Republic, the private operator, handles day-to-day management. Republic will invest an estimated $160 million to upgrade the facility over the course of its contract, along with costs for its eventual closure, said Susan Klassen, Sonoma County transportation and public works director. Revenue is expected in the hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the agreement.

“We spent a lot of time trying to decide, as a community, how do we want to handle our garbage in the county? The community didn’t want trucks driving all over the place, creating greenhouse gases,” she said.

Central Landfill receives around 800 tons of trash every day, and currently sends around 100 tons of that garbage to landfills at other locations due to space restrictions, Downey said. Republic is expecting to begin construction of the recycling sorting station, anticipated to cost between $5 million and $6 million, within six months, he said.

The Ratto Group operates two stations in Petaluma, which also serve as a stop for garbage and recycling from Novato and western Marin County, said Louis Ratto, chief operating officer.

The company also operates several transfer stations elsewhere in the county on Republic’s behalf, and provides pickup and hauling service for all Sonoma County municipalities but Sonoma.

Describing ongoing efforts to update those facilities and reduce energy and water use in Petaluma, Ratto said regulatory requirements are achievable in a way that benefits the bottom line and, in the long term, ratepayers.

“We’re not just here to pick up the garbage. We want to show that we’re being environmentally responsible,” he said. “It’s all about being as environmentally responsible as possible, while saving money.”

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscouri er.com.)

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