County adopts updated waste management plan and siting element

The County of San Diego updated its countywide Integrated Waste Management Summary Plan and countywide Siting Element following a Board of Supervisors vote January 5, and the adoption of the new plan reclassifies the proposed Gregory Canyon landfill from “tentatively reserved” to “proposed”.

The approval and adoption of the first update since 1996 encompasses all jurisdictions within San Diego County. The Integrated Waste Management Summary Plan includes regional goals and policies, summarizes programs to meet the state-required 50 percent landfill diversion rate, and suggests steps needed to implement and administer specific programs, while the Siting Element describes existing facilities and strategies for the region to meet 15 years of disposal capacity.

The supervisors’ action also adopts the Negative Declaration for the Siting Element update, indicating that there is no substantial evidence that the update will have a significant effect on the environment. The motion also authorizes the director of the county’s Department of Public Works to transmit the countywide plan and siting element to the 18 incorporated cities in San Diego County; before the plan can be submitted to the State of California it must be adopted by a majority of the cities representing a majority of the incorporated population within 90 days of receipt.

The siting element serves as a guidance document rather than a specific development program. It discusses new landfills and landfill expansions but does not advocate or guarantee approval of facilities by any agency or jurisdiction. Each proposal for a new or expanded solid waste facility must be reviewed separately through local land use approval and state permitting procedures.

The Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989, also known as AB 939 for the State Assembly bill which led to the law, requires that each city and county develop plans and elements addressing solid waste management. The County of San Diego and each of the 18 cities have previously adopted updated Source Reduction and Recycling Element plans, Household Hazardous Waste Element plans, and Non-Disposal Facility Element plans. The updated siting element and updated summary plan were developed by San Diego Association of Governments committees, and in January 2004 SANDAG’s board of directors recommended that the summary plan and siting element be distributed to the county and cities for formal adoption. A Negative Declaration was circulated for a 30-day public review in April 2004.

An updated of the siting element is warranted due to several significant changes since the 1996 adoption. In 1997 the county divested its public landfills, and several “tentatively reserved” sites have not seen development action. In addition to Gregory Canyon, discussion of expanding Sycamore Canyon Landfill in East County has taken place.

The siting element update includes updated criteria to be used in the siting process for new solid waste disposal facilities or expansions of existing facilities. A local task force researched and analyzed solid waste disposal capacity in order to revise the siting element.

The siting element demonstrates that at least 15 years of remaining disposal capacity exist using a combination of integrated waste management strategies. In addition to opening Gregory Canyon and expanding Sycamore Canyon, the strategies include potential increases in the rate of solid waste disposal permitted at existing landfills, increased diversion rates, siting of new recycling facilities, and increased export of waste out of the county.

According to California law, reclassification of a proposed new landfill from “tentatively reserved” to “proposed” in a siting element is mandatory once the landfill has been found to be consistent with the general plan. The November 1994 initiative which zoned the Gregory Canyon land as a landfill also amended the general plan.