MORE OPINIONS ON DUMP EIR SOUGHT SUN VALLEY ACTIVIST GROUPS HIRE EXPERTS TO SCRUTINIZE REPORT.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Faced with a 6-inch-thick report on environmental impacts from the proposed Bradley Landfill expansion, Sun Valley community groups have hired their own experts to scrutinize how the proposed project will affect air pollution, water quality and traffic.

It's not unusual for activists to use lawyers or a consultant to review controversial projects, but in this case at least three different groups have sought professional opinions on the dump's environmental impact report.

Leaders say that's a sign of the community's concern with the proposed project - which is likely to be the city's last landfill expansion and its largest trash transfer station - and Sun Valley's desire to weigh in on such an important issue.

``Hiring these experts helps them be informed. For too long decisions were made in Sun Valley without the community being consulted,'' said Councilman Tony Cardenas, who represents Sun Valley and recently held a public meeting for residents to question city staff about environmental issues around the landfill.

``I'm just glad to see this community is finally exercising its voice.''

The report details Waste Management's proposal to increase the height of Bradley Landfill by 43 feet, or the equivalent of a four-story building, and increase the dump's capacity by 4.7 million cubic yards. The landfill is nearly full now and the company wants to continue dumping until April 2007, while it builds a new transfer station warehouse on site.

The new facility would take in 7,500 tons per day of garbage, recyclables and green waste.

Waste Management spent more than five years developing the impact report and the document has three volumes full of maps, tables and analysis - all explaining the potential environmental problems associated with the new trash center and how the company would fix those problems.

Now community members have until Wednesday to comment and offer their own suggestions on how to mitigate such a massive project.

To help, the Bradley Landfill Community Advisory Committee hired three consultants at $36,000 to review Waste Management's air, water and traffic analysis. Appointed by the council office in 2003 and funded by Waste Management, the committee will ultimately advise Councilman Tony Cardenas on whether to approve the landfill expansion.

Committee member Dennis O'Sullivan wanted a neutral third-party to translate the report's legalese and provide a reality check - so when the study says a new 7,500-ton-per-day transfer station would have a ``less- than-significant impact'' on traffic in the area, he'll know whether that is really true.

``None of us are experts. We don't do this for a living. I try to be the voice of reason, but without proper information I don't know.''

The Sun Valley Neighborhood Council's Bradley EIR Committee has $8,000 to spend on consultants, but it hasn't found anybody willing to work for so little money, said Karl Kunak.

Instead the committee has relied on officials from the city's planning department and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to help it parse the dense environmental impact report.

Outspoken dump critics East Valley Coalition and One-LA have also turned to experts to dissect the report, though members declined to say who they retained.

``We don't believe Waste Management and City Planning - they haven't been real helpful - so everybody is saying we need to get someone to help,'' said Sun Valley resident Ellen Mackey.

Waste Management Director of External Affairs Kit Cole said the company welcomes the input from all the community groups.

``We look forward to hearing the analysis that the consultants come up with. We're committed to responding to whatever it is that they and the consultants come up with regarding the document.''

The report looks at a number of concerns but the water, traffic and air quality impacts seem to be the biggest issues that consultants will investigate.

Bradley Landfill sits on top of Los Angeles' underground drinking water supply and water managers carefully monitor groundwater levels to make sure they don't rise high enough to touch the bottom of the landfill, which would contaminate the water.

In the past, the Department of Water and Power and some residents have asked whether the pressure and weight from the landfill expansion could increase the risk of contaminants leaking into groundwater. The report says the landfill's underground collection system can handle any increase in gas and liquid from decomposing trash.

The proposed landfill increase and transfer station will bring a lot more diesel trash trucks through the community around the dump. From 2007 to 2008, during the landfill closure, there will be 4,399 trips to and from the facility each day - that's 2,269 more vehicles than currently visit the site.

Once the transfer station is open and operating after 2008, the facility will generate 3,959 vehicle-trips a day - more than 1,829 trips than currently visit the site.

The environmental report states Waste Management will be able to lessen the impact on local roads by adding traffic signals and dedicated turn lanes, however the report concedes the company will not be able to reduce the smog-forming and particulate-matter pollution from all those diesel trucks.

At its peak operating during the landfill expansion, the site could generate roughly 1,100 pounds of smog-forming pollution and nearly 600 pounds of particulate matter each day.

After the landfill is closed and the transfer station is operating, the site would generate nearly 600 pounds of smog-forming pollution and 114 pounds of particulate matter each day.

The report is available at public libraries in Sun Valley, Van Nuys and Panorama City. It's available online athttp://cityplanning.lacity.org/EIR/BradleyLandfill/DEIR/Bradley%20Landfill.htm

Comment on the environmental impact report should be sent to Jimmy Liao, City Planner/Project Coordinator at the Los Angeles Departent of City Planning at 200 North Spring St., Room 750, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Or e-mail to jliao(at)planning.lacity.org.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com