Sonoma County may reopen landfill
Brett Wilkinson
Press Democrat
06/05/2010
Sonoma County's troubled central landfill again will take center stage Tuesday as county supervisors are set to award contracts for the short- and long-term reopening of the shuttered site.
The first of those deals calls for a limited, temporary resumption of waste disposal at the landfill west of Cotati. It also includes renewing current trash collection services at four transfer stations, plus hauling and waste disposal at a landfill outside Sonoma County.
A county staff report released Thursday recommended awarding that highly sought-after contract — for up to four years and worth about $50 million — to its current holder, North Bay Corp., part of the locally based Ratto Group of Companies. The company's current deal expires at the end of August.
The second contract would cover the permit-process work necessary for the landfill's long-term reopening. Staff members are recommending that it be awarded to SCS Engineers, an environmental contractor with local headquarters in Petaluma. The firm's bid for work estimated by county officials to take two years was $425,000.
Final decisions on the recipient of either contract and their terms rests with the supervisors Tuesday.
The contracts are the latest effort in a now three-year search by county officials for a way to reopen the 39-year-old central landfill. The Mecham Road facility was closed in 2005 following the discovery that a damaged dump protective liner might lead to ground water contamination.
