Santa Paula Joins Fillmore to Fight Landfill in Court

The city of Santa Paula has decided to join neighboring Fillmore in a lawsuit that seeks to block the proposed expansion of Toland Road Landfill, located between the two communities.

The Santa Paula City Council voted unanimously Monday to sue the county and the landfill operator, the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. Santa Paula and Fillmore contend the environmental study the district prepared for the landfill’s proposed expansion is inadequate.

“We feel that the environmental impact report is faulty,” Santa Paula Mayor John Melton said. “We feel there’s a lot of areas . . . that have not been addressed.”

The legal challenge is very likely to cite more than a dozen environmental issues, said Ventura attorney Katherine Stone, who expects to file the litigation within a week on behalf of the two communities. Most of the issues will center on air quality and noise impacts related to increased truck traffic, the effect of landfill dust on agriculture and the risk of water contamination.

The two cities will ask a Superior Court judge to order the district to do a new environmental study.

Fillmore’s council approved filing suit last week.

“We’re trying to develop [tourism] and capitalize on the pristine nature of the valley and we don’t think landfills or mining operations are consistent with the aesthetic qualities of that project,” said Roy Payne, Fillmore’s city manager. Residents of the Santa Clara Valley are also battling a proposed strip mine in the area.

Fillmore and Santa Paula are not the only ones considering legal action. An attorney representing several area growers has said that they also plan to file a lawsuit to stop expansion of the tiny Toland Road dump.

The sanitation district wants Toland, currently permitted to take 135 tons of trash per day, to become the natural successor to Bailard Landfill near Oxnard when it reaches capacity this summer. If the expansion is approved, Toland would be able to take 1,500 tons of west county rubbish per day for the next 30 years.

On Feb. 22, the district’s board approved the expansion, saying it was the most inexpensive and environmentally sound of several possible alternatives. The county Planning Commission is expected to consider the project next month.

While the lawsuit wasn’t a surprise, it isn’t likely to hinder the bureaucratic process, said Mark Zirbel, the sanitation district’s attorney.

“The only purpose served by this sort of . . . lawsuit is to attempt to create a delay or add controversy regarding the environmental issues that are going to be addressed by the regulatory agencies in due course as they process the permits,” he said. “It’s not likely to kill Toland. Toland, in my view, is going to be approved or disapproved on its merits by the various regulatory agencies.”