LOCAL 2004: DEBATE RAGES ON WHETHER TO EXPORT TRASH.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

As one San Fernando Valley landfill expanded and another neared closure in 2004, Los Angeles city officials began considering trucking trash to far-off dumps.

In the fall, Sunshine Canyon Landfill broke ground on its 55-million-ton expansion in Granada Hills. After six months of public hearings, Los Angeles water officials approved the final permit provided that the landfill's operators include a double-liner system beneath the trash to protect groundwater.

With construction under way on the expansion area, Browning Ferris Industries is seeking final approval needed to merge the existing landfill with the new area. Together they would create a 90-million-ton megadump capable of taking in up to 12,100 tons of trash a day for the next 25 years.

In Sun Valley, Bradley Landfill is nearly full, but Waste Management Inc. has proposed increasing its height by 43 feet, the equivalent of a four-story building. The company wants to take that step to buy time and keep workers employed while developing a permanent trash transfer station on the site.

Facing strong opposition from area residents and politicians, Waste Management offered $4 million to the community if the expansion is approved.

Meanwhile, city sanitation officials in 2004 began negotiating with Waste Management to haul Los Angeles trash to the Antelope Valley and Riverside, potentially fulfilling Mayor James Hahn's pledge to stop shipping some 4,000 tons per day of residential trash to Sunshine Canyon Landfill.

The City Council is expected to consider the proposals and vote on whether to continue dumping in the Granada Hills landfill or dump outside city limits.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com