DUMP-GROWTH INPUT SOUGHT COUNCILWOMAN FORMING OWN COMMITTEE ON LANDFILL EXPANSION.

Byline: ERIC LEACH

Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY -- Saying the issue is too important to wait for formal government hearings, Simi Valley City Councilwoman Barbra Williamson is forming her own community advisory committee to gather information on proposed expansion of the Simi Valley Landfill.

Williamson stressed that her committee is not sponsored by the city but is a group she decided to form herself to make sure residents are informed about any expansion plans and to make sure local residents have an early opportunity to voice their opinions.

"I strongly believe that the public should be advised and have input as the process moves forward," she said. "We need to sit down and make sure we're all on the same page and understand exactly what Waste Management's expansion plans are."

Waste Management Inc., which operates the landfill in the hills north of Madera Road and the 118 Freeway, has made no formal proposal to expand the landfill, but company officials have said for years they expect to double its size eventually.

Kit Cole, a Waste Management spokeswoman, said the company operates with an open-door policy, which includes providing public tours to people who want to learn more about the landfill.

"Having more community input about our operations is always a good thing," Cole said about Williamson's committee. "We look forward to receiving input from the community, from this group or any other group that wants to work with us."

In 2004, Waste Management purchased 2,800 acres from the Unocal Corp. adjacent to the current landfill and said at the time that they wanted to use part of the land to eventually expand the dump area from 185 acres to 400 acres.

The land acquired from Unocal will allow the landfill to expand farther north into the hills, but the dump will remain about the same distance from homes that it is now, Waste Management officials said.

The landfill is one of two such disposal sites in Ventura County, and it meets about 60 percent of the county's daily refuse disposal needs.

Other political leaders in Simi Valley and Moorpark besides Williamson have said they are waiting until specific proposals are made before they develop opinions regarding any expansion.

But many have already expressed opposition to filling up and expanding the landfill with trash from outside Ventura County.

Williamson said she wants to make sure the people of Simi Valley have time to review all the potential impacts, including truck traffic.

"Those trucks are coming through here. They are coming on the 118 Freeway," she said. "I want Waste Management to come to the table and give us the facts so that we can make a good recommendation to the county. We want to be part of the process."

Waste Management officials say the landfill gets about 75 percent of its trash from Ventura County, with the rest coming from other areas. But some trash generated in Ventura County winds up in other counties, including hazardous waste, sewage sludge and recyclable materials.

Williamson said her committee meetings will be open to the public, and anyone interested in joining the seven-member group should apply to her by April 20.

The applications should be sent to 1197 E. Los Angeles Ave., Unit 3C, PMB 227, Simi Valley, CA 93065. For more information, call Williamson at [phone].

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

[phone]