FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING OF DECEMBER 5, 2023
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: City Council
FROM: Interim City Manager Alex Posada
BY: Director of Community Development Chuen Wu
SUBJECT: Adoption of a Resolution to Adopt the C alifornia Environmental Quality Act Addendum for the Santa Maria Regional Landfill Cell 1 Extension Project Phase II
Description:
The City Council will consider adopting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Addendum to the Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Santa Maria Regional Landfill Cell 1 Extension Project Phase II.
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a resolution to adopt an Addendum to the Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report prepared for the Santa Maria Regional La ndfill Cell 1 Extension Project Phase II.
BACKGROUND:
The Utilities Department provides integrated waste management services on behalf of the City of Santa Maria (City). This includes municipal solid waste, recyclables, and organic waste collection services for residential and commercial customers, operating the Santa Maria Regional Landfill (SMRL) at 2065 East Main Street, and planning for the design, permitting, construction, and operations of the future Integrated Waste Management Facility (IWMF) at Los Flores.
The Utilities Department is updating the SMRL facility permit to extend the current 45.5- acre active disposal area (i.e., Cell 1) . Cell 1 was previously extended from 36 acres to
45.5 acres under an Addendum to the Final Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Report for the SMRL Cell 1 Extension Project in 2021.
The Cell 1 active area has been receiving waste since late November 2002 and the Cell 1 extension area has been receiving waste since August 2022. Once disposal operations end in the extended Cell 1 area footprint, disposal operations will transition to the City’s IWMF at Los Flores.
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2 DISCUSSION:
To allow for additional time needed to design, permit, and construct the Los Flores IWMF, the City is proposing to further extend the Cell 1 lined disposal area within the permitted boundary of SMRL. The extension will add approximately 15.6 acres of Class III disposal lined area to the existing 45.5 acre Cell 1 active area. Other items considered under this project include:
Installing a 50 -foot-wide access road on the southeastern si de of the Phase II Extension area to maintain access to Cell 1 during operation and post-closure maintenance; and
Adjusting the permitted hours of operation starting time from 5:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. to accommodate the disposal of materials collected by the City from commercial businesses, of which such collection operations commence at 3:00 a.m. , to minimize impacts to businesses and traffic within the community; and Adjusting the site's estimated closure timing to late 2034.
Alternative(s)
The Council may decline to approve the Addendum, but the Utilities Department will be unable to update the SMRL facility permit as proposed.
Environmental Review
The proposed project is subject to CEQA. As the lead agency for the project, the City is required to adopt the appropriate CEQA determination for the project through a resolution for the record. Due to the nature of the proposed project, an Addendum to the previous SEIR is appropriate. This is the third Addendum to this E nvironmental Impact Report (EIR). An Addendum can be used when only minor technical changes or additions are necessary and where substantial changes to the approved project would not occur. As discussed in the Addendum (Attachment A), the proposed changes to the project are minor and no su bstantial changes to the originally approved project are proposed. In addition, the proposed project will not create any potentially significant impacts to the environment beyond those already identified in the SEIR.
Fiscal Considerations
The cost to deve lop the EIR Addendum was estimated to be $28,100 by Rincon Consultants, Inc. The budget for the design and permitting of the project is $450,748 for the current fiscal year 2023-24.
Impact to the Community
There is no impact to the community as a result of adopting the Addendum to the SEIR.
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3 Other Agency Review
The proposed permit update project requires discretionary permit approvals from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) and the regional Water Quality Control Board.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Addendum to the Santa Maria Regional Landfill Site Facility Permit Final Second SEIR, October 2023