📋
Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

El Dorado County Grand Jury • 2000-2001

Environmental Management Department

5 pages
View PDF View Full Original

Findings 15 findings

F1 Page 155
The County’s Environmental Management Department (“Environmental Management” handles approximately 30 to 50 hazardous materials incidents a year, most of which involve fuel spills from motor vehicle accidents. Small spills are dealt with by County personnel, after contact from the California Department of Transportation (“CalTrans”) where the accidents have occurred on Highway 50. Response to F1: The respondent agrees with the finding. Fire agency personnel are typically first on-scene who direct and assist with mitigation of spills as appropriate and possible.
F2 Page 155
County personnel have pagers and are available to respond to hazardous waste emergencies on a twenty-four (24) hour per day basis. Response to F2: The respondent agrees with the finding.
F3 Page 155
In the event of a large spill, the California Office of Emergency Services (“OES”) is contacted and apprised of the nature of the spill. OES then contacts the appropriate agencies to dispatch personnel to assist in the response. 1 56 Response to F3: The respondent agrees with the finding. Local dispatching and coordination is paramount and primary.
F4 Page 156
Environmental Management also acts in coordination with the County Sheriff, pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding, in connection with the identification and cleanup of hazardous materials from approximately ten (10) to thirty (30) drug labs in the County. Response to F4: The respondent agrees with the finding.
F5 Page 156
Reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is available for County responses. Response to F5: The respondent agrees with the finding. Not only is FEMA funding potentially available, but also funds administered by the California and Federal Environmental Protection Agencies.
F6 Page 156
California state law requires counties to have reduced solid waste by 50% by 2000, or face fines of up to $10,000 per day. Counties that were, in the State’s view, making appropriate progress toward achieving this goal were given an extension to 2003 to achieve the 50% reduction. Response to F6: The respondent disagrees partially with the finding. California state law (AB939) requires counties to have reduced solid waste by 50% by 2000, or face fines of up to $10,000 per day. Counties that were, in the State’s view, making appropriate progress toward achieving this goal have the option of requesting an extension up to 2006 to achieve the 50% reduction.
F7 Page 156
El Dorado County received the extension. Response to F7: The respondent disagrees partially with the finding. El Dorado County has not received, but is qualified and eligible to apply for the extension. The State is in the process of developing the application process for this extension. Since the County is eligible for the extension and it will apply as soon as the application process is known.
F8 Page 156
The County, thus far, has reduced solid waste by approximately 40%. Response to F8: The respondent agrees with the finding.
F9 Page 156
Solid waste disposal services in El Dorado County are provided primarily by two companies, and secondarily by various other sources. Specifically: · Waste Management, Inc. (“WMI”), a publicly held corporation whose stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and its subsidiary El Dorado Disposal, serves the City of Placerville and the western portion of the 1 57 County along the Highway 50 corridor from Pollock Pines to El Dorado Hills. · South Tahoe Refuse Company, a privately held company, and its two divisions, Sierra Disposal Services and American River Disposal Service, serve the unincorporated portion of the South Lake Tahoe Basin (including Meyers, Christmas Valley and Hope Valley), the High Mountain Country (including Pacific House, Crystal Basin, Kyburz, Strawberry and Echo Summit), and the northern portion of the County (including Coloma, Pilot Hill, Cool, Georgetown, Garden Valley, Greenwood and Auburn Lake Trails). · There are two small service areas within the County. The unincorporated area of the West Lake Tahoe Basin (including Meeks Bay and Tahoma) is served by Tahoe-Truckee Sierra Disposal, Inc. The south portion of the County (including Somerset, Grizzly Flats and Mt. Aukum) is served by Amador Disposal, Inc. · A very sparsely populated area in the southeast portion of the County is unassigned for service. Response to F9: The respondent agrees with the finding.
F10 Page 157
The City of Placerville and the El Dorado Hills Community Services District administer their own franchise agreements with their service providers. The remainder of the waste disposal service agreements within the County are administered by the County itself. Response to F10: The respondent agrees with the finding. In addition to the above referenced political jurisdictions, the City of South Lake Tahoe also administers its own franchise agreement with South Tahoe Refuse Co., Inc.
F11 Page 157
The European Union has adopted a law forbidding landfills by 2005. Response to F11: The respondent agrees with the finding. The European Union has adopted a position that al members countries (13) shall ban the burial (landfilling) of all unprocessed solid waste.
F12 Page 157
The Director of Environmental Management researched what has been done by companies in Europe to provide technology to compensate for the elimination of landfills. Response to F12: The respondent agrees with the finding.
F13 Page 157
The Director ascertained that Herof, a German company, has provided equipment for many European cities. By use of the technology provided by such equipment, the moisture content of total waste is removed, reducing the total waste volume by approximately 30%. The equipment also separates ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and separates different colors of glass by the 1 58 use of an optical scanner. The remainder of the waste is baled and burned in co-generation plants to produce electricity. Response to F13: The respondent agrees with the finding. The El Dorado County Environmental Management Department is a member of the Regional Council of Rural Counties Environmental Services Joint Powers Authority (ESJPA) which currently has 24 member California counties. An ESJPA member, Mariposa County and their partner, Yosemite National Park, spent the last five years (RFQ/RFP) searching worldwide for a new solid waste facility provider and are now in final negotiations with the Herhof Corporation of Solms, Germany. Herhof has over 34 solid waste facilities throughout Germany and several more in other European countries. The Environmental Health Director accompanied the Mariposa County delegation to Germany in Late February 2001 to observe the technology.
F14 Page 158
The Director is encouraging both WMI and South Tahoe Refuse Company to obtain and use within the County the technology presently being used in Europe. Response to F14: The respondent agrees with the finding. The Director is generically encouraging the above referenced local companies to identify improved techniques and new technology from whatever vendor to allow the County to comply with AB939 and to provide alternatives (other than open burning) for forest slash and yard waste.
F15 Page 158
The Director is of the belief that South Tahoe Refuse Company could have that technology online within a year, because the Company already has land and a building to house the required equipment. The Director is also of the belief that the use of such technology by WMI could become operational within two years. Response to F15: The respondent agrees with the finding. Timing may be optimistic (see Responses Required for Recommendations).

Recommendations 2