A group of Aromas residents Tuesday asked the Board of
Supervisors to officially oppose a Santa Cruz County plan that
could put a landfill near their homes across the Pajaro river.
A group of Aromas residents Tuesday asked the Board of Supervisors to officially oppose a Santa Cruz County plan that could put a landfill near their homes across the Pajaro river.
“As far as they’re concerned (in Santa Cruz County), we don’t exist,” Aromas resident Patty Brown told the board.
Sidestepping a harsh resolution, though, the board instead agreed to send the neighboring county a letter. It will request that San Benito County have a voice in the process of selecting potential sites for a dump.
In doing so, San Benito County joined several other local governments – including Monterey County and the Aromas Water District – in offering some sort of official opinion on that site.
Aromas residents say they’re nervous because a Santa Cruz task force recently placed the nearby location – known as “Landfill Site No. 3” – near the top of a list of 23 potential sites for the dump.
Tuesday, a handful of citizens pleaded for help from San Benito County supervisors – even though choosing a future disposal method and location falls under Santa Cruz County’s jurisdiction.
Parts of Aromas are in San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. While the area across the Pajaro River potentially affected by a landfill falls within San Benito County’s border.
The residents are concerned about its half-mile distance from Aromas School; potential effects on traffic gridlock with more trucks using Highway 129; impacts on local plant and animal habitats; and close proximity to a fault line. Not to mention the probable stink and unpleasant view it likely would cause.
Above all, Aromas residents felt they didn’t have a voice in a process that could potentially lower their quality of life.
“A landfill is a temporary solution with long-term problems,” said Aromas resident Robert Scholz.
George Morton, who lives on the Santa Cruz side of the river, said a dump would overburden emergency crews, lower real estate values and ultimately lower San Benito County’s tax base.
“There isn’t a supervisor over there (in Santa Cruz County) that’s going to pay the price,” Morton said.
Santa Cruz County’s current Buena Vista Landfill has about 15 years of disposal life left, according to Santa Cruz County disposal manager Patrick Matthews. So the county has been looking for a new site since 2000.
But he emphasized Santa Cruz County has just begun a lengthy selection process; it hopes to have a final plan composed within five years. Officials there haven’t even committed to a landfill as the disposal method of choice – let alone a location, Matthews said.
In December, a Santa Cruz citizens advisory board – one step below the task force composed of elected officials – compiled initial rankings for a landfill site based on environmental criteria such as availability of space and accessibility. The site, near Aromas along a curved section of Highway 129, was ranked No. 1.
Since then, the task force bumped it to No. 7 because its members considered “environmental justice” as a criterion while the advisory board didn’t, Matthews said.
Environmental justice revolves around the notion that governments often choose poor and ethnically diverse areas for dumping grounds and industrial developments. Census figures showed the area surrounding No. 3 has lesser than average wealth and higher than average ethnic diversity, Matthews said.
There’s another proposed landfill location – “Landfill Site No. 4” – right next to No. 3. But it was ranked 13th on the priority list by the task force.
San Benito supervisors on Tuesday recognized Santa Cruz County hasn’t progressed far into the process, another reason they didn’t vote on a resolution. Supervisor Richard Scagliotti suggested a letter, and Supervisor Reb Monaco made the motion.
“I think it’s premature to get defensive,” Monaco said during the meeting.
The board voted 4-1. Supervisor Ruth Kesler, who requested the resolution and represents the Aromas area, voted against sending a letter. She feels the action won’t be taken seriously in Santa Cruz, she said.
But Matthews said Santa Cruz seriously considers all opposition – which the county has received plenty of – to its proposed locations. Though he acknowledged that opposition, regardless of disposal location, is about the only guarantee of the project at this point.
“This county will have to build something,” he said. “And whether it’s a landfill or a transfer station, we’re going to face opposition.”
