BOARD LIFTS BAN ON CITY TRASH AT VALLEY DUMP\Sunshine Canyon standoff ends.

Byline: David Bloom Daily News Staff Writer

County supervisors on Thursday lifted a five-year ban on Los Angeles city dumping at the Sunshine Canyon landfill.

The decision, made despite last-minute delay attempts by dump opponents and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, ends the last bit of unfinished business between the city, the county and landfill owner Browning-Ferris Industries after years of disputes.

The fights began when the city refused to renew the landfill's conditional-use permit within city boundaries, forcing it to close in 1991 after more than two decades of operation.

The county then agreed to allow the landfill - north of Granada Hills - to reopen just outside city limits on neighboring BFI-owned land, leading to lawsuits by the city and the North Valley Coalition.

In retaliation, the county prohibited the city from dumping its trash in the landfill and only considered lifting the restriction when the city relented in its opposition to the dump.

"The use restriction served its purpose," Supervisor Deane Dana said.

"We believe the board's decision goes a long way toward mending the long-strained relationship between the county and city of Los Angeles over solid waste," said Arnold Berghoff, BFI's director of intergovernmental affairs.

Thursday, Antonovich and coalition representatives argued that the board needed to review new environmental information and a confidential settlement between BFI and the city before acting.

"We feel there were issues that were germane and should be examined," said Mary Edwards, the coalition's president, who also asked for an outright ban of trash from outside the county.

But after years of fights that included several rounds in court, other supervisors said it was time to move on.

"We need to move forward," said Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Berghoff said the city has already contacted BFI about negotiating a disposal contract at the landfill now that the City Council has decided to close Lopez Canyon landfill, the last city-owned dump.

As part of the city settlement with BFI, the landfill will accept no out-of-county trash for its first 7.5 years of operation, said BFI attorney Steve Weston. If the city continues to provide at least 1,250 tons of trash per day after that, the ban would remain in place.

But the board, in deference to concerns raised by the coalition and Antonovich, agreed to review in five years whether an outright importation ban should be extended permanently.

The company also will pursue an existing application with the city to reopen its dump on the city side, Berghoff said. The expansion would vastly enlarge the dump's capacity from about 17 million tons and an eight- to 12-year life span to 90 million or more tons and a 25-year life span.

Dump opponents said they plan to continue fighting the project in court and before state regulatory bodies that still haven't issued final permits.

"We're happy they're moving this along, because at least we can get back into the courts," said coalition attorney Rosemary Woodlock.