BREA : City OKs Agreement Involving Landfill

Over the objections of residents, the City Council has approved an agreement with the county aimed at addressing concerns about a proposal to expand the Olinda Landfill.

The agreement was drafted by city staff to update a previous county-sponsored environmental report detailing how the dump’s expansion plans could affect the community.

City staff had assailed the original document, which is yet to be approved by the Board of Supervisors, as inadequate and potentially harmful to the community.

The agreement statement adds several new measures, including limiting the volume of trash hauled to the dump to 6,000 tons a day and requiring the county to landscape the area to improve its appearance. The additions, along with the environmental report, will be considered by the supervisors next month.

Expanding the Olinda Landfill is one of several ways being considered by the county to solve its growing trash problem. If approved, the dump--originally slated to be closed in 1995--would remain open until 2020. The expansion plan is considered likely for approval because it is about $30 million cheaper than any other proposal.

Several residents who live near the Olinda Landfill asked the council last week to delay the vote, saying they had been shut out of the review process.

“There was no real effort to inform the citizens of Brea,” said Nancy Wright, vice president of the Olinda Village Homeowners Assn. “The people of Brea have a right to know what is being done.”

Others questioned why they were not told about the agreement earlier and complained that the council was giving in too easily to the county.

Officials denied that, saying they had negotiated with the county about a variety of issues and did not want to delay the vote, which might jeopardize what had been accomplished in those talks. In addition, City Manager Frank Benest said, the Board of Supervisors is to vote on the plan and the agreement at its Feb. 4 meeting.