Donations Needed Now - For Our Tomorrow

by Susan Watkins

By now you've heard the great news -- the Yamhill County Planning Commission voted 7 to 0 to reject Riverbend Landfill's expansion plan.

This victory demonstrates that we have a real chance to protect:   the South Yamhill River basin and rivers downstream, 129 acres of EFU-80 farmland that would be lost if the landfill expands;  affordable garbage rates, nearly 3000 jobs and more than $20 million in wages contributed annually to Yamhill County by the local wine and tourist industries, and the heart of one of Oregon's most scenic areas and the environment and lifestyle of everyone living in Yamhill County.

The strong message the Planning Commissioners sent to Riverbend and its corporate parent, Waste Management, Inc. of Houston, Texas, will undoubtedly inspire the landfill to significantly increase efforts to persuade our County Commissioners to allow the expansion.  Commissioners Kathy George, Leslie Lewis, and Mary Stern will hear the case on February 12th.  If expansion is approved, thousands of tons of waste will continue to be trucked into our County from Portland Metro, to be buried by our river.

We have an opportunity to stop the landfill's expansion.  With a topnotch, experienced attorney, we can win this complex legal case. 

Our case is strong:  The proposed expansion does not satisfy the legal requirements for an exception to the land use goals of Yamhill County or the State of Oregon.  Far from meeting Yamhill County's legitimate waste disposal needs, expansion will create a mile-long wall of trash, more than twice as high and four times as large as the landfill is today, sited on a riverbank, bordering the most popular tourist route in Oregon, in the middle of an internationally-acclaimed wine region.  We have experts who will tell the Commissioners about modern waste disposal alternatives that make landfills obsolete.

More than ever, we need your financial support.  Please make a donation in whatever amount you can afford to help us win this fight.  It truly is a now or never situation – if the Riverbend application is approved,

We have a good chance to stop the expansion. Please join your friends and neighbors and contribute generously.  Thank you!

Planning Commision Votes 7-0 Against Riverbend Landfill Expansion

by Ramsey McPhillips

The word of the evening was "alternative." Yamhill County doesn't require a new garbage system for another 6 years and yet Waste Management pushed this land use issue now. I'm sure the Planning Commissioners really had no choice but to deny the application in favor of buying time to seriously look at green Trash-to-Energy Alternatives.

Obviously the Planning Commission understands (unanimously 7 – 0) that farming, tourism, especially the vineyard industry, the aquifer and the right for landfill neighbors to have an unencumbered nuisance-free and clean environment trumps the need for a regional landfill that seeks to expand largely for the benefit of out-of-county interests—especially when landfills are on their way out. There are counties all over the nation that are rejecting the old landfill model by putting in trash-to-energy systems.

The whole green economy is weighted against Riverbend…the number of government subsidize and programs that are available for trash to energy systems are endless…and will only get better under the present urgency to stabilize the economy. No matter how you look at it landfills are a problem for the environment…the new systems coming on line that do not increase garbage rates significantly are designed to Help the environment.

It would be unpatriotic in this day and age if we did anything but utilize our garbage to get our nation off of foreign oil. Waste Management knows this and will have non land filling systems in place all over the country by the time Riverbend closes in 2014. The Texas garbage industry assumed a big risk when they bought and then took our small local landfill and created a huge regional facility. I know they have spent a ton of money but I think it is time they throw in the towel and offer an alternative trash to energy model to Yamhill County instead of a landfill…

I think it is obvious from tonight's vote that If they don't, someone else will.

It's a new day, flood plain Landfills are out, making domestic fuel and energy from our trash is in. The Yamhill County planning commission gets it, I really hope the three County Commissioners do, too.

Slide Show of Surrounding Area

Yamhill SWCD Position - Riverbend Landfill Expansion

Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is obligated to comment on issues that can impact natural resources such as water, soil, air quality and wildlife. Yamhill SWCD has seven elected directors representing county landowners. Expansion of Riverbend Landfill from its current size (86 acres) to 184.7 acres at its Yamhill county site located three miles south of McMinnville certainly has the potential to impact water resources due to its location in the floodplain of the Yamhill River. This is the primary reason Yamhill SWCD opposes the current expansion proposal.

Background

Over six million tons of municipal waste is disposed of annually in Oregon.The amount of waste to be disposed has risen about 3 to 4% per year since 1990. During the same period, the number of municipal landfills has dropped from 53 in 1997 to 30 in 2006. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) that regulates landfills now monitors more closed landfills than operational ones. Disposal has been concentrating on fewer but larger facilities and now close to 77% of all waste in Oregon is disposed in seven regional landfills with Riverbend in Yamhill County being one of these facilities. Another dynamic that has occurred during the 1990’s was the dramatic increase in the amount of imported waste. Prior to 1990, relatively little out-of-state waste was imported into Oregon for disposal. Imports quickly rose in the early 1990’s and continue to rise. In 2004, imported waste made up 35% of the total waste being stored in Oregon. In contrast, relatively little of Oregon’s waste (1.3%) is exported to facilities outside of Oregon. Riverbend started as a site to serve local needs and has grown to serve regional and out-of-state needs. The expansion proposal is about serving those needs.

Landfill space is much needed in western Oregon, home to the majority of Oregon’s population. Landfill operations in western Oregon must contend with high annual rainfall which becomes contaminated when it percolates through the landfill waste. Recovery systems help with this but must operate continuously after the landfill is closed to prevent ground and surface water impacts. Research on landfills conducted by U.S. Geological Survey indicates that although modern landfills are designed to minimize groundwater contamination, there are many ways that landfills may eventually leak. The proposed expansion includes areas in the Yamhill River floodplain and impacts to the river or ground water at some point in the future are likely. Riverbend is only responsible for negative impacts for 30 years after closing – after that Yamhill county citizens will be responsible as they currently are for several landfills throughout the county. The soils in the expansion area are classified by USDA as being limited or very limited for use as a landfill.

Directly across the river, within site of the proposed expansion, is the abandoned Whiteson landfill which provides insight for Riverbend. Oregon DEQ monitoring of the Whiteson landfill indicate groundwater lead levels near the site are 2.9 ppm – over 190 times higher than the level whereby water treatment is required to meet drinking water standards (0.015 ppm). The potential for ground and surface water impacts from a landfill increase if the landfill is located in the floodplain. This issue was debated prior to the 1992 Riverbend expansion proposal and it is still the primary reason Yamhill SWCD opposes the current expansion.

Yamhill SWCD directors are also concerned about the increasing footprint that this regional landfill is having in our county. Several surrounding farms have been purchased by Riverbend Landfill. We are using valuable farmland to bury trash from other communities and other states. The site is located along the busiest travel corridor in our state – Highway 18 – making it difficult to leave visitors with the impression of our county as productive farmland and wine country.