CORRESPONDENCE_2013-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

y 1 Regional Water Quality Control Board December 23, 2013 Page 2 1,900 feet from its northern boundary. Contaminants, odors, and vectors produced by the Landfill have the potential to harm countless residents, farmers, and agricultural consumers. Forward Landfill's processing of cannery waste has the potential to threaten water quality, generate offensive odors, and provide a substrate for the breeding of vectors, and also has the potential to contaminate surrounding farmers' crops, resulting in unsafe food sources and non-viable farming operations. This potential harm is especially significant in the San Joaquin Valley, which is an invaluable source of food for California and for the nation. Clean San Joaquin seeks to ensure that the Water Board imposes measures that are necessary to protect the health and safety of residents and the agricultural community and lifestyle that is the strength and core of the San Joaquin Valley. A. Forward Landfill Continues to Threaten Regional Water Quality. Forward Landfill has been the subject of several Water Board Orders resulting from its contamination of regional water resources. Discharges from the existing facility already exceed state and federal water quality benchmarks. Further, a Corrective Action Program (CAP) is already in place as a result of former measures' ineffectiveness in stemming the advance of groundwater containing harmful levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as acetone. These VOCs leached from the Landfill and continue to taint drinking and irrigation water. Past Orders, the CAP, and the degraded state of affected water bodies demonstrate Forward Landfill's record of regulatory non-compliance. Because of this non-compliance, the water available to adjacent lands continues to be degraded by the spreading VOC-contaminated groundwater plume. Further contamination risks the health of other water bodies, and the intensification of existing pollution levels. Moreover, the San Joaquin River, the ultimate receiving water body for the Landfill's discharges, is already impaired. See 2010 California 303(d) List of Water Quality Limited Segments. Thus, the environment surrounding and including the Landfill is especially sensitive and already significantly degraded. It is therefore critical that the Water Board impose all measures that would prevent the Landfill from further threatening the regional water supply. Land application and disposal of cannery waste poses a serious threat to water quality. Excess Nitrogen, heavy metals, and VOCs can leach from the waste into groundwater and other water sources, such as the North and South Forks of Littlejohns SHUTE-, MIHALY :`.` - V/E[NBERGERu.P