Humboldt County Grand Jury • 2016-2017

The Authority to Manage Our Waste

Published: December 15, 2016 9 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

F1
HWMA is caught in the middle of growing pressures to deal with an increasing volume of waste, a shrinking market for recycled materials, and a 30-year commitment to continue monitoring and cleanup of the closed Cummings Road Landfill site.
Related Recommendations (3)
R4
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that, given its current lack of storage and on-site recycling capability, HWMA staff perform a cost analysis for contracting out its recycling versus acquiring more space for this purpose. (F1, F4)
R5
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA carefully analyze whether operating as a regional authority that includes all of Humboldt County would be more cost effective for ratepayers, while decreasing the environmental impact of current inefficient hauling. Our County Board of Supervisors (BOS) should take an active leadership role in promoting HWMA as a regional authority by encouraging the membership of Fortuna and Trinidad. (F1, F6)
R6
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA Board and staff create, prioritize and regularly review an HWMA mid to long-term plan, projecting expected waste volume increases and ensuring adequate facilities for waste management and for recycling. The plan must project and recommend mitigation of the effects of the rising water table, as well as deal with operations following natural disasters. (F1, F7) 44
F2
Serious financial issues include a persistent deficit in operations (until fiscal year 2016-2017), and unclear financial statements regarding HWMA’s net worth position.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA Board must give immediate attention to improved financial accounting and reporting, and must ensure that up-to- date systems are available and maintained by adequately trained staff. (F2, F3)
R2
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the financial management staff clearly separate accounting for activities involving Hawthorne operations from continuing obligations for the Cummings Road Landfill. (F2)
F3
HWMA lacks an integrated financial reporting system, and provides inadequate training for personnel who are responsible for the reporting.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA Board must give immediate attention to improved financial accounting and reporting, and must ensure that up-to- date systems are available and maintained by adequately trained staff. (F2, F3)
R3
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that a rolling multi-year forecast for revenues and expenses, including best estimates for planned projects, be required annually and used as a basis for facility planning. (F3)
F4
A severe shortage of space for operations at the Hawthorne facility limits the Authority’s ability to divert recyclables from the waste stream and to deal with food waste.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that, given its current lack of storage and on-site recycling capability, HWMA staff perform a cost analysis for contracting out its recycling versus acquiring more space for this purpose. (F1, F4)
F5
On a yearly basis, approximately 70,000 tons of waste is transported to recycling sites and landfills (including Potrero Hills, a 550-mile round trip) by diesel-burning trucks.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA obtain support of the Board of Supervisors to conduct a feasibility study for the use of modern incineration methods to deal with solid waste. (F5)
F6
HWMA is not operating as a regional entity, foregoing the opportunity for shared resources, economies of scale, and more efficient (and eco-friendly) trucking transportation.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA carefully analyze whether operating as a regional authority that includes all of Humboldt County would be more cost effective for ratepayers, while decreasing the environmental impact of current inefficient hauling. Our County Board of Supervisors (BOS) should take an active leadership role in promoting HWMA as a regional authority by encouraging the membership of Fortuna and Trinidad. (F1, F6)
F7
HWMA lacks operational disaster planning, and is not developing viable options to deal with forecasted rising groundwater levels.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the HWMA Board and staff create, prioritize and regularly review an HWMA mid to long-term plan, projecting expected waste volume increases and ensuring adequate facilities for waste management and for recycling. The plan must project and recommend mitigation of the effects of the rising water table, as well as deal with operations following natural disasters. (F1, F7) 44

No Responses Found 3

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Fortuna City
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office
Trinidad City