Press Release

El Sobrante Landfill’s Environmental Impact Report
Available for Public Review

Temescal Valley, CA, December 22, 2008 - Waste Management announced today that Riverside County Waste Management Department (RCWMD) has completed work on a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) on changes scheduled for the El Sobrante Landfill.

Waste Management is seeking a waste permit modification to modernize its operations at the El Sobrante Landfill. The proposed revisions would extend the hours for waste delivery and change the permitted disposal tonnage limits from a daily limit to a weekly limit.

Currently, the landfill operates 24 hours per day, and accepts waste 20 hours a day from 4:00 am to 12 a.m. midnight. The desired revised hours would allow the landfill to accept waste 24 hours per day in order to facilitate the transportation of waste in the late evening and early morning hours and remove the trucks from the morning and evening rush hours. Accepting waste 24 hours per day does not impact the currently allowed daily permitted vehicle trips.

El Sobrante Landfill is permitted to accept 10,000 tons of waste per day, seven days a week for a total of 70, 000 tons per week. The proposed change is requesting to change the permitted waste tonnage from a daily to a weekly limit. The overall permitted tonnage will remain at the current levels of 70,000 tons per week.

The release of the Draft SEIR today (Monday, December 22) begins a 45-day period in which interested parties – including community members - can submit comments on the document. After comments of the Draft SEIR are received from the public and reviewing agencies, RCWMD will prepare a Final SEIR.

The Final SEIR will include responses to comments received on the Draft SEIR and will be part of the project's public record. Any written comments received will be forwarded to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and will be considered before any action is taken on the project. The Board of Supervisors may consider this project on or after March 2009.

"The goal of the requested changes is to reduce truck traffic on the local highways during peak commuting hours and to better align our operations with the needs of the community,” said Damon De Frates, district manager for El Sobrante Landfill. “We believe the Draft SEIR provides a thorough analysis for the proposed revisions and we encourage public participation during the important comment period for this Draft SEIR."

The Draft SEIR created by the Riverside County Waste Management District is available to the public at www.rivcowm.org and at the following locations:
  • El Cerrito Library
    7581 Rudell Road
    Corona, CA 92881

  • Lake Elsinore Library
    600 W. Graham Avenue
    Lake Elsinore, CA 92530

  • Woodcrest Community Library
    16625 Krameria
    Riverside, CA 92504

  • Riverside Central Library
    3581 Mission Inn Ave
    Riverside, CA 92501

  • Riverside County Waste Management Department
    14310 Frederick St
    Moreno Valley, CA 92551
    and on the web at www.rivcowm.org

  • El Sobrante Landfill
    10910 Dawson Canyon Rd.
    Corona, CA 92283
    and on the web www.keepinginlandempireclean.com
Members of the public are encouraged to provide written comments and feedback on the Draft SEIR. Written comments on the Draft SEIR will be accepted December 22, 2008 to February 4, 2009

Send Your Comments To:
Riverside County Waste Management Department
Contact: Ryan Ross
14310 Frederick Street
Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Following the release of the Draft SEIR, a series of presentations to community groups, local homeowner’s associations and various local groups will be scheduled. For interested community members in the Temescal Valley, a presentation of the Draft SEIR will be made to the Temescal Valley Municipal Advisory Council (TMAC) at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 7, 2009.

Temescal Valley Municipal Advisory Council
Sycamore Creek Swim Club
25420 Mayhew Canyon Drive
Corona, CA 92883

Waste Management’s El Sobrante Landfill is located in the unincorporated area of Riverside County. The landfill serves more than one million Inland Empire residents and is a critical component of Riverside County and the greater Los Angeles region’s infrastructure. The site has more than XXX acres in permanent preservation and is a critical component of preserving open space in Riverside County. For more information on the landfill, please go to www.keepinginlandempireclean.com.

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