Pala issues statement of disappointment over CalRecycle's approval of solid waste permit for Gregory Canyon dump

PALA – Despite the decision of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to concur with the issuance of a solid waste facility permit for a proposed landfill in undeveloped Gregory Canyon, the Pala Band of Mission Indians and other opponents of the troubled dump have vowed to continue the fight.

“The Pala Band has been fighting this dump since it was first proposed in the late 1980s,” said Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “It was the wrong place then and it is the wrong place now. When someone proposes building a dump on land that has been sacred for thousands of years, you can never give up and we will continue to do everything in our power to stop this desecration of Gregory Mountain and Medicine Rock.”

On Friday, CalRecycle concurred with the decision of the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health acting as the Local Enforcement Agency that “overriding considerations” justify placing a dump in the pristine canyon. CalRecycle’s action means that the permit was approved despite the threats to sensitive and endangered species, the danger posed to drinking water sources, and the permanent desecration of Native American sacred

sites.

“This is just one of several permits that the project needs to move forward,” said Shasta Gaughen, Director of the Pala EPA. “This is a long battle and we are confident that in the end there will not be a dump in Gregory Canyon. At some point, clearer thinking will prevail and the proper authorities will realize that there is no need for a new dump and that there are no ‘overriding considerations’ that support its construction. There is no justification for destroying one of the last naturally flowing rivers in Southern California and risking drinking water for tens of thousands of residents of North County.”

The dump proponents are still seeking permits from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Air Pollution Control District, California Dept. of Fish and Game and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.