Those of us that have been through at least one environmental action recognize that, often times, this response is a prelude to a long and protracted process of cleaning up another environmental holocaust. So let's get started. Here are the numbers, as reported by EBA Waste Technologies, an independent engineering and environmental consulting firm which reported tests on the Laytonville, Caspar, and the South Coast Landfills. (Numbers refer only to the Laytonville Dump.) All tests were for known or suspected carcinogens.
Landfill Gas Testing,11/5/87
CompoundConcentration
Vinyl Chloride007ppb*
Benzene003ppm**
1,2 Debromoethane000BDL***
1,2 Dichloroethane 065ppm
Methylene Chloride 014ppm
Tetrachloroethene 171ppb
Carbon Tetrachloride000BDL
1,1,1 Trichloroethane 162ppb
Trichloroethylene 372ppb
Chloroform 001ppb
*parts per billion
** parts per million
*** Below detectable levels (BDL)
Ambient Air Testing,11/23-24/87
All compounds were below detectable limits.
Before going any further, it should be pointed out that the report referred to above is not the one requested by Rick. The report which ranked the landfills by toxicity levels was put out by the State Air Quality people and has, to the best of our knowledge, seen its way to the shredder. However, in a conversation with Kathy Cloninger, Randy Forbes (current Mendo Garbage guru) mentioned that he had been informed of a similar, if not the same, report and informed Kathy that the four sites outranking the Laytonville Dump were certified for toxic materials.
The report referred to in this article was made available to the LEAC after much delay by Mike Scannel, thru Dan Garvin, several weeks after it was requested, although it was offered immediately. (Sounds familiar don't it?) The numbers which kind of reach out and grab you are those that measure gasses in the parts per millions. Although all three landfills in this study were measured for the same gasses, the Laytonville site was the only one where any of the gasses tested in the parts per million. All others were either BDL or in ppb. In a Feb. 20, 1992 letter to Benjamin D. Kor, Executive Officer of the California Regional Water Quality, and James Behrmann of the State Air Resources Board, the LEAC questioned several findings listed in the study: specifically, the ppm results and the lack of ambient air findings, questioning in detail the testing methods and their accuracy. As of the printing of this article, neither person has replied.
In an ironic twist, the county is also questioning the results of the tests as presented in the EBA report. In order NO. 90-93 (90 indicates the year issued) Waste Discharge Requirements for County of Mendocino, Laytonville Solid Waste Management Unit, from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board North Coast Region prepared by Richard Azevedo it is stated that, " the discharger submitted a SWAT report to the Regional Board on July 6, 1988. To date the SWAT report has not been completed." The EDB report was dated March, 1988, it would be nice to know why the report was not included in the county SWAT report submitted to Water Quality, or if it was, why was the report considered incomplete. (Anyone reading this who can get to Water Quality? If you could get a copy of the SWAT report as submitted by the county and all other pertinent information it would be greatly appreciated.)
It seems that the county believes the testing results overstated the presence of the various carcinogens at the Laytonville site. Hence they are going to retest....someday. (Like when they get questioned.) Whatever happens, it would seem that the Laytonville Dump is destined to be tested again in the future. We need to make it the near future.
In the meantime the history of the dump indicates that people near it have been trying to get the water, etc., tested for years now and have had minimal response from the county. One citizen is said to have shown her dead goldfish to officials as evidence that not all was fine. Another recalls that death by cancer seems to permeate her neighborhood, "and they ain't all old."
A neighborhood sandwiched between the old dump to the north and the current dump to the south, with the old Philo mill in between. (Anybody out there got any cancer cluster surveys for this area?)
One tends to conjure an image of some primal ooze gathering beneath the Laytonville Dumps ready to seep into the hearth and homes of innocent citizens. Unfortunately, this may not be too far from reality as the county has failed to accurately map the groundwater flow beneath the dump. As stated by Dan Garvin in his 12, Feb., 1992 agenda summary on the Caspar landfill. (Yes, he tried to sneak in a Laytonville Dump action in a Caspar agenda item.)
EPA Circular 570/9-89-005 lists the possible contributors of two of Laytonville's big three on the chemical contaminant list, Benzene and 1,2 dichloroethane as follows:
Benzene-Fuel (leaking storage tanks), solvent commonly used in the manufacture of industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, paints and plastics.
1,2 dichloroethane- used in the manufacture of insecticides and gasoline.
Methylene Chloride is not listed in the EPA publication, however, you can find it listed on Gopher Get throughout the County.
Undaunted by the lack of an accurate SWAT the County gorges on. The agenda of the 12, Feb., 1992 BOS meeting contained an item which called for a Caspar Landfill status report. Hidden in this item was the discussion of updating the Laytonville Operating permit so that it could accept some Caspar waste should the Caspar site be closed. The only people aware of this being on the BOS agenda were those who received the agenda summary. Calls to the BOS brought assurances from Chairperson Liz Henry that the Laytonville Dump would not be discussed without prior public notification of the meeting.
Anyone having information (documentation would be nice) concerning the Laytonville Dump, etc., please send it to:
L.E.A.C., P.O. Box 372
Laytonville, CA 95454
Anyone who can get to the Water Quality people and go through the file on the Laytonville Dump, please give us a call at 707-984-8354.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 2004
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited