Evaluation and Reporting on Contaminant Hydrogeological

12-12-01

Conditions at the Tajiguas Landfill

Page 20 of 24

2) In a January 20, 1998, letter the Discharger informed the Board that leachate

collection system piping had failed and a discharge of leachate occurred.

3) In a February 27, 1998, letter the Discharger informed the Board that the

Leachate Collection System trench (Cutoff Trench) had overflowed and

discharged to Pila Creek. The Discharger indicated the collection trench would

be pumped and collected water would be used to wash down the wet

weather disposal deck or discharged directly to the southern most in-creek

sedimentation basin.

Additionally neighbors in vicinity of the Landfill registered numerous complaints,

accompanied by photographic evidence, regarding excessive sedimentation and

litter entrained in surface water discharge from the Landfill. A formal complaint and

presentation to the Board was made at the January 30, 1998 Board meeting and

followed up with an agendized item at the April 3, 1998 Board meeting in San Luis

Obispo.

(98 Correspondence.tif, Images 70 thru 74)

A June 29, 1998, Regional Board Interoffice Memo regarding a Complaint/Impact

Investigation Staff Report as per Board Order No. 93-69, stated that the landfill

operators failed to heed the Board’s October 21, 1997 letter specifically warning

landfills to be prepared for the El Nino induced precipitation and that some advice on

what additional measures should be implemented was also provided. It also states

that Mercury and Arsenic were identified in Pila Creek, that mercury exceeded

Ocean Plan standards on January 29, 1998, and that the source of these heavy

metals had not been determined. This issue has still not been resolved.

Furthermore, although the Monitoring and Reporting Program required the Landfill

staff to perform regular onsite inspections to check for any compliance concerns,

Staffs review of the Landfill's Fourth Quarter Monitoring Report indicated that

problems with wet weather were not reported, except for a brief mention of recent

precipitation levels. Also, many problems which did not occur on scheduled days of

inspection were not reported either. An example is the fact that Pila Creek had

sporadically contained trash and high levels of sediment which was not reported in

recent monitoring reports. The internal memo also mentioned that Landfill's staff do

not appear to be passed on Board staff’s concerns to the Landfill's managers and

that written communication in the form of Notices to Comply and notices of

violation as well as other appropriate enforcement actions appear necessary to

ensure that Landfill management acknowledges receipt of documentation of

identified problems.

(98 Correspondence.tif, Images 76 thru 82)