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Environmental Management Department recommending the Board approve Budget Transfer 2010119 establishing the operating budget for the Meyers Landfill Closure for Fiscal Year 2010/11. (4/5 vote required)
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Fiscal Impact/Change to Net County Cost: There is no impact to Net County Cost.
Background: The County of El Dorado is undertaking the work activities for the remedial design regarding the remedy and operation, monitoring and maintenance of Meyers Landfill Site, Operable Unit 1. The Meyers Landfill operated from approximately 1947 through 1971 under a series of Forest Service Special Use Permits that were issued to private parties and the County of El Dorado. Waste disposed at the site included municipal solid waste from residential and commercial sources from within the southern Lake Tahoe Basin area. The site stopped receiving waste in 1971 and in 1973 the County closed the landfill and covered the waste with an interim soil cap.
Since the closing of the site in 1973 several site investigations have been conducted. As a result of these investigations, it was determined that in the best interest of public health and safety, the site would need to be remediated. In January of 2002, the United States Forest Service (USFS) issued a Feasibility Study and Proposed Plan for remediation of the site, which was later modified and termed the Supplemental Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study (RI/FS). The RI/FS calls for capping the waste mass with an impermeable multi-layer cover system, installation of a passive landfill gas venting system, relocation and consolidation of a portion of the waste mass directly above the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) sewer line, and installation of a surface water collection and retention system, the RI/FS is known collectively as the Remedial Action. The proposed Remedial Action to be implemented at the Meyers landfill site was finalized by the Forest Service in the Record of Decision (ROD) executed on November 15, 2007. The ROD was incorporated into the Partial Consent Decree, which will be issued to the County of El Dorado by the Federal Court, Eastern District of California. The United States Forest Service incurred substantial costs in monitoring the site and developing the ROD. Likewise, the County incurred similar costs in the investigation of the site though to a lesser degree.
Once approved by the Court, the Partial Consent Decree becomes a court order with which the parties must comply. The Partial Consent Decree requires the County to retain an engineering construction management company with CERCLA and National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) experience to oversee and direct the implementation of the Remedial Action by the Construction and Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) contractors.
Reason for Recommendation: On May 18, 2010 the Board of Supervisors approved the Partial Consent Decree and on May 25, 2010 approved the settlement with the insurance carriers. These approvals support project funding along with the previous third party settlements. This budget transfer appropriates revenue for the project as follows: $1,250,000 Third Party settlement, $700,000 City of South Lake Tahoe settlement, $1,000,000 South Tahoe Refuse settlement, $1,600,000 Insurance Carrier settlement, $1,612,349 United States Forest Service settlement. In addition, the Environmental Management Department was awarded $750,000 via a CalRecycle Waste Board Grant which was previously approved by the Board of Supervisors. The budget transfer also appropriates expenditures for the project in the amount of $5,261,349 for professional services (closure activities) and a contribution to the United States Forest Service in the amount of $1,651,000, as identified in the Partial Consent Decree.
Action to be taken following Board approval:
Upon execution by the Chair, the Board Clerks Office will forward the fully executed budget transfer to the Auditors Office for processing.
Contact: Gerri Silva, MS, REHS, Director of Environmental Management