Vote near on Western Waste rail-haul plan.

Project would ship L.A. trash to Imperial County

Torrance-based Western Waste Industries may have an edge in the race to build the first waste-by-rail landfill project in California if the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approves the project at a meeting this week.

The Imperial County Planning Commission voted earlier this month to approve "what may be the biggest landfill in the country," said Rich Widrig, Western Waste spokesman.

The big landfill, which could take half of L.A.'s trash for 85 years, would be built by Western Waste near an existing rail line. It is called a "waste-by-rail" project because the plan is for trains to haul trash from L.A. to be dumped there, Widrig explained.

If approved, the landfill, which would be located in the remote desert area 35 miles from the nearest town in that southeastern-most county in the state, could take 20,000 tons a day of garbage. That capacity represents half of the garbage produced each day in L.A. County and about one-fifth of the entire state's daily output, Widrig noted.

The Western Waste project is designed to use the Southern Pacific rail lines to transport trash to the landfill site, located about 40 miles west of Yuma, Ariz., and 40 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico.

Western Waste's project is one of three California waste-by-rail schemes proposed as alternatives to dumping L.A. County's garbage in local landfills. All propose to use existing rail lines to haul trash to remote areas of the California desert.

'Too much trash'

"By 1998, we could have a problem in L.A. County of too much trash and not enough places to put it," said Donald Nellor, head of solid waste planning for the Sanitation Districts of L.A. County.

Nellor noted that between now and 1998 permits for five of the county's 10 landfills are set to expire. Two and possibly three waste-by-rail landfills may be needed in the future, he said. But the one that is open for business first has the best chance for success, he said.

Widrig of Western Waste noted that project may have the best chance of being built because there is no organized opposition to it, unlike the other two waste-by-rail projects.

One of the others, proposed by Mine Reclamation Corp., a Palm Springs-based company which was set up to build a landfill in Riverside County, has been tied up in a lawsuit. And a group is gathering signatures to place a measure on the San Bernardino County ballot to kill the third project, which was proposed by Oak Brook, Ill.-based Waste Management Inc., the biggest waste company in the U.S.

Spokesman Bob Morris said his company's project is "farthest along" in the race to become the first waste-by-rail project in California. He attributed its lead to having a "fully permitted" rail loading facility in L.A. County, while the others don't.

Waste Management has proposed to transport trash from L.A. County to a remote desert area near the town of Amboy in San Bernardino County.

That project already has the unanimous approval of that county's planning commission, Morris said. The San Bernardino Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on it in October, he said.

Critics seek initiative

Morris acknowledged a group opposed to the landfill is gathering signatures for an initiative to prohibit the landfill. But he said the initiative is "a side issue" that "doesn't cause us any concern."

Mine Reclamation's project has already been delayed by political opposition. It also plans to build a 20,000 ton-a-day landfill which would use an existing rail line to transport trash to the desert in Riverside County, 50 miles west of Blythe, Calif., said Chief Executive Rick Daniels.

That project was approved by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in 1992. But a group of residents sued, alleging the project's environmental impact report was not sufficient under the California Environmental Quality Act, Daniels said.

A Superior Court judge agreed with the residents on 6 of 70 objections and Mine Reclamation had to rewrite it. The new version will be unveiled to the public this fall, and the Riverside Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on it in early 1996.

If all goes well, Mine Reclamation could begin construction of its landfill in late 1997.

Daniels says his project would be the farthest along - if lawsuits are filed against the other projects. "All it takes is $150 to file a lawsuit," he noted.

But Western Waste's Widrig said his firm doesn't expect a suit or an initiative against its project. He added that the environmental impact report is "bulletproof."

Imperial County Supervisor Sam Sharp said he plans to vote in favor of the Western Waste project, barring any unforeseen negative circumstances, at the meeting this week.

The landfill will bring badly needed revenue and 200 to 250 jobs to Imperial County, which currently has a 33 percent unemployment rate, he said.