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Regional Water Quality Control Board <br />December 23, 2013 <br />Page 3 <br />Creek. The FEIR found that the mitigation measures described below are necessary to <br />address these threats. Unless the Water Board requires the Landfill to implement these <br />measures, the Landfill's pattern of past water contamination and degradation will be <br />exacerbated. Further contamination and degradation of water quality could threaten the <br />viability of nearby farming operations, which rely heavily on local groundwater <br />resources. <br />B. Forward Landfill's Cannery Waste Operations Breed Vectors and <br />Could Contaminate Nearby Agriculture. . <br />Forward Landfill's cannery waste operations are a source of vectors, <br />including rats and biting flies. Cannery waste abounds in organic material and thus <br />provides ample nourishment and a breeding substrate for pests that can spread disease to <br />humans, other animals, and crops. <br />Vectors carry pathogens from solid waste that have the potential to <br />contaminate agricultural crops. Pathogens from cannery waste could destroy nearby <br />crops, and could be conveyed to the humans that eat affected crops. Moreover, farmers <br />are required to verify that the food they produce is safe. Discovery of vectors or <br />contaminated produce by inspectors could threaten local farmers' livelihoods. <br />Contamination and vector -induced pathogens from the Landfill reduce the safety and <br />marketability of agricultural crops, thereby threatening the continued viability of <br />agriculture operations. <br />C. Forward Landfill's Cannery Waste Operations Cause Noxious Odors <br />That Affect Area Residents. <br />Without proper management, the disposal and decomposition of cannery <br />waste is especially likely to result in fetid odors. Anaerobic decomposition of cannery <br />waste creates these offensive odors, which are harmful to sensitive receptors and reduce <br />individuals' quality of life. The odors currently emitted from the Landfill create a <br />serious, offensive nuisance for surrounding residents and workers, particularly on windy <br />days. The Water Board should require Forward Landfill to comply with certain basic <br />measures to reduce the far-reaching putrescence of rotting cannery waste. <br />II. The Water Board Should Require the FEIR's Mitigation Measures as <br />Conditions of the WDRs. <br />The FEIR, and two reports attached to the FEIR, Lewis Engineering, Food <br />Processing Residuals, Land Application Facility, Forward Landfill (2012) ("Food <br />SHUTE, M I HALY <br />-WEINBERGERi.i_P <br />