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Analysis Background Forward Inc. is proposing to amend their current Solid Waste Facilities permit to include a portion of land which totals 184 acres.The 184 acres is located southwest of the current permitted landfill operation and was acquired by Forward Inc. in 2005. A previous Use Permit application,Draft Environmental Impact Report and Williamson Act Contract Cancellation was filed on March 21, 2008 to expand the current operation and include the 184 acres;however,a letter was received by the Community Development Department from Forward Inc.on May 14, 2010 requesting the project be placed on hold because of potential conflicts with the 1993 Airport Land Use Plan for Stockton Metropolitan Airport. The current permitted landfill operation Use Permit application(UP-00-0007) was approved and Environmental Impact Report(ER-00-0002)certified by the Board of Supervisors on April 8, 2003 which consolidated the former Austin Landfill and Forward Landfill site into one operation. In accordance with Title 27 of the California Code (Solid Waste Facilities) and as part of the current facility operation, any application for amendment to the current facility boundaries requires public notification and environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA). To maintain compliance with Title 27 (Section 20164) it also requires solid waste facility operators to include all operator-owned lands within the boundaries of the permit and Forward as part of the facility boundary amendment will update the existing approved landfill gas probe monitoring system. The probes would require permits to be issued by the Environmental Health Department and will only be used for monitoring possible subsurface migration of landfill gas from the landfill.The purpose for moving the probes is to create additional separation between the perimeter landfill gas probes and the current permitted waste placement. No increase in permitted landfill activities and change in waste footprint will occur if the monitoring system is updated. Also as a condition of approval and in accordance with Title 27, the Environmental Health Department acting as the enforcement agency for California Department of Recycle requires for Forward Inc.to submit a revised Solid Waste Facility Permit and a revised Joint Technical Document(JTD)for review. Although Forward cannot expand its landfill operations onto the 184 acres, it must as the operator of a solid waste facility identify the current facility boundaries. The current request for the amendment to the facility boundaries is only for compliance with Title 27 of the California Code(Solid Waste Facilities)and not an increase in landfill refuse footprint. The proposed application if approved will riot increase the amount of daily tonnage permitted or number of trucks permitted for the current site and will not permit any landfill activities to occur on the 184 acres. The surrounding land uses include agricultural lands to the east,west and south and to the north is the Northern California Youth Correctional Center and further north of the site is the Northern California Women's Facility.The women's prison is currently closed and does not house any inmates. The nearest runway of the Stockton Metropolitan Airport is one mile west of the current permitted landfill operation Project Opponents The Community Development Department has received two letters opposing the project. The letters expressed concern regarding the following issues: 1)increase in landfill activities; 2)conversion of 184 acres of prime agricultural farmland and growth inducing action; 3)impact on nearby farms and residences from dust,odor and noise; San Joaquin County PA-1000245\Forward,inc. Community Development Page 3