Hearing on Dump Next Thursday!

The Yamhill County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the latest expansion proposal from Waste Management next Thursday, December 4, at 7:00 PM in McMinnville Civic Hall.

Waste Management proposes to enlarge Riverbend Landfill over the next 20+ years by as much as 37 acres -- 8 to the north of the existing dump and 29 acres to the west.  The western portion will run for almost half a mile within 35' of the edge of Highway 18.  The smell of rotting garbage already reaches the city.  Now the northern acres will bring the landfill that much closer to residential and business neighborhoods on the south side of McMinnville.

The new dump will rise 140' above Highway 18. Trucks will access the dump via a road system that is 90' in the air when it parallels Hwy 18.  Imagine those headlights coming at you at night in the winter!  The dump's "working face," with its equipment, noise, smell, and dust, will overlook the Highway for most of the 20-30 years of the landfill's projected active life.

You can make a difference.  If you don't want this expansion -- which would never have been "necessary" if the landfill had taken only Yamhill County's waste all these years -- contact the Planning Commission and say so.  Tell them expansion is not in the best interests of McMinnville or the County and tell them why.  Trucks--noise--lights--birds (and their droppings on food we buy at nearby produce stands)--the dirty highway--runoff into our river (see article about the recent zinc release, below)--the reputation Yamhill County is getting as Portland's garbage dump.

Read Waste Management's application here.  Click on "Riverbend Expansion Applications" to download the pdf.

Read the County Planning Department's staff report -- and letters from your neighbors and friends already submitted to the Planning Commission -- here.

Come to the Planning Commission hearing:

Thursday, December 4, 2014, 7:00 PM
McMinnville Civic Hall, 2nd & Baker (parking on 1st Street)

This may be our last chance to Stop the Dump!

Zinc Leak at Landfill

Unbeknownst to us, last May more zinc leached out of Riverbend Landfill than is allowed under its permit or federal law.  DEQ forbids the landfill to discharge more than 0.20 mg/L (milligrams per liter) of zinc during any one storm event.  On May 9, 2014, the landfill measured a discharge of 0.42 mg/L, which exceeded the limit by more than 50%, a "Class I violation."

"Class I violations" are the most serious, and DEQ has issued a pre-enforcement notice to Riverbend.  The notice can result in assessment of civil penalties for each day the Landfill was in violation.

Zinc is an especially toxic substance.  As noted by DEQ in its notice, "Exceeding total zinc permit limits can negatively impact stream habitat and aquatic species."

The website stormwaterx.com describes the effects of zinc this way:

Adverse human impacts:

Zinc is an important dietary element, but concentrations above 5 mg/L can impart an unpleasant taste to water.[i]  Exposure to large amounts of zinc can cause stomach cramps and anemia, and also decrease good cholesterol.[ii]

Adverse impacts on the environment: 

In marine waters, aquatic species suffer acute effects from zinc at 90 μg/L [note:  0.42 mg/L equals 420 ug/L].  Adverse effects of dissolved zinc, including altered behavior, blood and serum chemistry, impaired reproduction, and reduced growth, occur to salmon at very low levels  (5.6 μg/L in freshwater).[iii]  In mammals, ingesting large amounts of zinc can cause infertility and underweight offspring.[iv]

Zinc is often found in the water supply as a dissolve constituent since zinc compounds are highly soluble in water.[xiv] One example is rainwater picking up zinc when coming into contact with galvanized surfaces. Galvanized roofs are a common source of zinc in stormwater. Zinc is also released to the environment through tire wear. Tire tread material contains approximately 1% zinc by weight.[xv]

This is yet one more example of why a landfill should not be sited -- and definitely not expanded -- near our waterways.

To register your disappointment with Waste Management's management of Riverbend Landfill, contact Bob Schwarz at DEQ (SCHWARZ.Bob@deq.state.or.us) and Mike Brandt, Yamhill County Planning Director, at brandtm@co.yamhill.or.us.

Air Quality Meeting Tuesday!

by Ilsa Perse, Stop the Dump Coalition

This Tuesday will be the last open-to-the-public meeting before Waste Management presents its expansion plans for Riverbend Landfill to the Planning Commission on December 4th.  A big turn-out this Tuesday will help make the case that the dump and its odors are NOT compatible with living and farming in our beautiful valley.

The Stop the Dump Coalition will be bringing many issues to DEQ's attention.  Please come share your ideas with Gary Andes, DEQ Air Quality monitor for the dump.

WHAT:     The semi-annual DEQ/Riverbend Odor Meeting
WHERE:   McMinnville Senior Center, McDaniel Lane, Mac
WHEN:     Tuesday, November 18;  6:00 PM Pizza and kibitzing; 7: 00 PM Meeting
WHY:        Because the dump still stinks and DEQ has made it very hard to report the problem.  Gary Andes from DEQ needs to hear from folks like you about your experiences dealing with landfill odors and with DEQ's odor-reporting system, or lack thereof.  (We'll have report forms at the meeting.)

DEQ has not posted an air monitoring report on its Riverbend website (http://www.deq.state.or.us/nwr/RiverbendLandfill.htm) since 2012.  Highway 18 outside the landfill is filthy.  The odor reporting system is designed to keep DEQ from ever having to investigate complaints.

Bring your own air quality issues to the meeting!











SEE YOU TUESDAY!

Expansion "Community Meeting" Tuesday!

When the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners rezoned Riverbend Landfill to "Exclusive Farm Use," they required Riverbend's owner, landfill giant Waste Management, to hold a public meeting to introduce their expansion plan to the community.

That meeting is this Tuesday night, November 11, Veterans Day.  Questions and comments from the meeting will be entered into the record for the hearing that the Planning Commission will hold on the expansion application.  To ensure that your questions and comments become part of the record, put them in writing and insist that Waste Management respond in writing.

What:

"Community meeting"  Tuesday, November 11, at 6:15 pm at the McMinnville Grand Ballroom, 325 NE Third Street in Mac.  "Light supper" to be provided.

Planning Commission hearing, Thursday, December 4, 7:00 pm in the McMinnville Civic Center (corner of Baker and 2nd Streets in Mac).  The Commission could reach a decision that same night, but in the past has put the decision off until January to allow the parties to submit follow-up comments.

To download Waste Management's expansion, go to http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/content/riverbend-landfill and look for "Riverbend Expansion Applications."

Riverbend Files for Expansion

Riverbend Landfill's expansion plans are sitting on the desk of Yamhill County Planning Director Mike Brandt.  The applications for Site Design Review and a Flood Plain Development permit were filed this morning, November 6.  The County deemed the papers complete almost immediately and posted them on the Planning Department web page this afternoon.


Although Waste Management has had months or even years to prepare the applications, County residents and businesses get only a month to review the materials.  The matter will be submitted to the County Planning Commission for hearing at the Commission's regular meeting December 4.

In the meantime, Waste Management will discuss the expansion proposal at a "community meeting" next Tuesday evening, November 11.  This meeting is required by the ordinance that rezoned the existing dump from Public Works/Safety to Exclusive Farm Use.  At the meeting, Waste Management will present its plans and answer questions.  Information generated at the meeting is supposed to be made part of the record that the Planning Commission must consider when it reviews the applications.

Because it's not known at this time whether the community meeting will be recorded, participants are urged to submit questions and comments in writing and to ask Waste Management to put all answers in writing.  Alternatively, save your comments, written and oral, for the Planning Commission hearing.

The process:

"Community meeting" next Tuesday, November 11, at 6:15 pm at the McMinnville Grand Ballroom, 325 NE Third Street in Mac.  Everyone invited; "light supper" to be provided; information becomes part of the "record" of the SDR review process.

Planning Commission hearing, Thursday, December 4, 7:00 pm in the McMinnville Civic Center on the corner of Baker and 2nd Streets in Mac.  The Commission could reach a decision that same night, but judging by past practice will probably put the decision off until January to allow the parties to submit follow-up comments.

Board of Commissioners hearing, date to be decided.  This hearing takes place only if someone appeals the Planning Commission's decision.  As they consistently have in the past, the Board of Commissioners can wholly ignore the Planning Commission's decision and reasoning.

The Board's decision is final unless appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals.

The application:

You can download the application documents at http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/content/riverbend-landfill (under "Riverbend Expansion Applications").  (Warning:  Downloading the SDR app may take a while.)

Resource Agency Dinners in November!

It may be too late to dine but not to hear the good news about what our local resource lands organizations have been up to.  Attend their dinners this month!

Farm Bureau dinner:  Saturday, November 8, at 5:30 at Golden Valley Brew Pub, Third and Johnson in McMinnville.  George Taylor, former state climatologist and noted climate-change denier, will speak.  $18 per person.  Contact Marie Schmidt at mschmidt@linfield.edu for more information.

Friends of Yamhill County:  Monday, November 10, at Horse Radish in Carlton.  Mary Kyle McCurdy, Policy Director and Staff Attorney from 1000 Friends of Oregon will be the featured speaker.  One of the most respected land use attorneys in Oregon who has been intimately involved with urban growth boundary issues in McMinnville and Newberg, McCurdy will share post-election insights into the 2015 Oregon legislative session.  Contact Ilsa Perse at ilsap@earthlink.net for reservations and info.

Soil and Water Conservation District annual dinner and auction:  Wednesday, November 5, at 5:30 at the McMinnville Community Center, 600 NE Evans in Mac.  $15.  Cory Owens, resource soil scientist with the Natural Resource Conservation Services, will speak.  For reservations and info contact admin@yamhillswcd.org.

Yamhill Watershed Stewardship Fund dinner and auction:  Saturday, November 8, at 6:00 at the McMinnville Grand Ballroom, 325 Third Street in Mac.  $15 suggested donation.  For info contact ywsf08@yahoo.com.

Whatchamacolumn: Bladine Gets It Right!

Jeb Bladine's Whatchamacolumn in the October 31st News-Register exposes Waste Management's latest shenanigan:  offering funds to cash-strapped County governments shortly before those communities will have to weigh in on dump expansion.

The national company just "happened" to choose Yamhill County for $150,000 in grants to be doled out this fall -- just weeks before the company submits its plans for expansion of Riverbend Landfill.

According to Bladine, WM and the County have created a joint partnership to parcel out the funds to deserving local projects.  Our County Commissioners may not see their actions this way, but from here it appears that County government is working hand-in-hand with a private corporation to buy support for the expansion plan.

This is only the latest in a series of efforts by Waste Management that could be perceived as "buying community support" for extending the smelly, noisy, water-threatening life of its dump on the banks of the South Yamhill River.  The Stewardship Lands effort and the fund the County set up to channel WM license fees directly into projects favored by influential County leaders are two others.  (For details on the Stewardship projects, see "Stewardship Land Projects:  The Right Move? below.)

Of course, the County has already approved a rezoning that was widely viewed as a prerequisite to any expansion.  But other jurisdictions will have the chance to file objections or propose conditions when the plans come before the County Planning Commission (which could be as soon as December or January).  We trust those agencies won't allowed their good sense to be swayed by Waste Management's dollars.

We're told that communities within Metro are also being offered cash by Waste Management.  Metro of course must soon decide whether to extend contracts with Waste Management that allow a percentage of Metro waste to come to Riverbend.

Local governments aren't the only parties with an opportunity to weigh in on expansion soon.  Individual residents and businesses can also participate -- even if they don't get any Waste Management money!  First up, a "community meeting" to be held by Waste Management at 6:15 pm, Tuesday, November 11 in the McMinnville Grand Ballroom (see related story below, "Witches and Goblins and Landfills, Oh My!").

Stewardship Land Projects: The Right Move?

by Kris Bledsoe, Upper Island Farm, Grand Island

Waste Management has offered 450 acres near Riverbend Landfill to the community and established a Stewardship committee of hand-picked locals to help make future plans for that land.

One of the immediate projects is the establishment of a collaboration of small farmers to farm a portion of that land adjacent to the old Whiteson dump. In return Waste Management is using the names of these organizations to help them along in the application process for a proposed expansion of the Landfill.

We have consistently declared that the existence and expansion of the dump is now and will continue to be harmful and is inconsistent with surrounding farms, land value and our local vineyards. Some of the small farmers who are planning to take on the dump land are relatively new to our area and do not fully understand how they are being used.

I encourage you to make your concerns known to each organization. Some of you are probably members of these organizations and do not realize the plans and commitments that are being made. Ask questions and decide for yourself if taking on dump land is consistent with the vision you have for the farming community. The farm groups that are involved are wonderful groups; I fully support their visions. They have much to add to our County. I just wonder if this is the right property to use.

The farm groups involved should not be vilified, rather they should be admired for their willingness to take on new ventures. They are being used because of their deep-seated passions for farming and their strong desire to start up some very useful programs. I suggest that the community should gather together and help these groups find another location.

The farm groups are:

GROW International will provide administration and project management under the leadership of farming advocate Jerry Tindall, who founded GROW International to "encourage global stewardship of land, food, and family." GROW International works with non-profits, governments, and others to educate and empower individuals and communities to nurture land, food and family.

Yamhill Valley Grown will help the farmers market and sell their food, under the direction of Heidi Lindell. Yamhill Valley Grown is an aggregator and online marketplace of food grown and produced in the Yamhill Valley. The group has membership options that allow people to support the local food system and has developed a local food resource guide for the community.

Yamhill Valley Farmers Network, managed by Beth Satterwhite, will provide the farmers access to information and education as part of the group's mission to foster a strong and supportive local farmer community. The Network was established in response to farmer feedback gathered through the Nourish Yamhill Valley Food System Assessment Process held in 2012, which identified challenges facing local farm businesses and the farming community.

Barbara Boyer envisioned the overall project and assembled the project partners. She will serve as mentor to the farmers. Boyer is also working through the Oregon Farm to School Council to strengthen the farm-to-school movement by creating infrastructure needed to provide local food to local children.

Each of these folks has a Facebook presence. If you think what they plan to do is great, let them know. If you have concerns, let them know.