Upper Napa Valley Waste FACTS & HISTORY
Fire
Fire concern, the Clover Flat Landfill is in a high fire tier area Tier 2 and Tier 3. The county as a whole is doing everything we can to mitigate fire risk and having a landfill with a heavy fuel load in a steep windswept canyon creates unnecessary risks to our community.
The landfill is not far from St. Helena's water supply, Bell Canyon Reservoir and if that is compromised in a fire it can cut off our water supply for months if not years.
The landfill is seeking to reinstate their permit to accept green/food waste at the landfill, it is this highly combustible material that caused them problems in the past with fires.
Since 2013 Napa County/CalFire responded to 26 incidents at the landfill, 13 of those required fire department intervention (adequate fire suppression was NOT in place).
According to the original Napa County LEA report the Clover Flat Landfill was severely impacted by the Glass Fire, again raising questions about its location in a high fire tier area as well as air quality/smoke issues related to fire damage not reported to the public.
Water
Closure of the northern portion of Napa River in 2019 due to chemical contamination from the landfill. Many Napa Valley Vineyards are directly irrigated from the Napa River.
Recent groundwater and leachate sampling from the Clover Flat Landfill detected PFAS (forever chemicals) in ALL of the samplings. View Report
The landfill has also sought to acquire permits to take in fire debris. It was the extensive fire debris that they accepted from the Tubbs fire that got them into a litany of environmental violations in 2018-2019.
David Morrison, Napa County Planning Director, was quoted saying that Clover Flat has been a major recipient of organic waste from hazardous wildfire waste, resulting in more organic material entering our waterways.
Neighbor to the landfill has lost nearly all his animals to cancer and he is currently battling cancer.
Concern for contamination to our groundwater and waterways, many that irrigate Napa Valley grapes.
Climate
Climate concerns - David Morrison, Napa County Planning Director, said in a recent meeting that 15-20% of Napa County's GreenHouse Gas Emissions are from landfill emissions. We only have one landfill in Napa County.
Garbage is a major contributor to global warming. Solid waste landfills are the single largest man-made source of methane gas in the United States. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is 23 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than the most prevalent greenhouse gas.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that landfills are the third-leading cause of methane emissions in the U.S. Nearly a fifth of methane emissions come from landfills.
Landfill gas also contributes to smog, worsening health problems like asthma.
Our trash does have to go somewhere, but it's important to know that there are other more innovative practices in waste stream divergence and there are larger outside companies with economies of scale that have on site engineers and offer solutions by an open and transparent process.
“PFAS were detected in all groundwater, leachate, and leachate/condensate samples collected. All PFAS that were detected in groundwater sampling were also detected in the leachate samples. ”
Health, Safety, Neighbors, Employees
5 workers exposed to radiation at Clover Flat Landfill - all went to the hospital, one employee needed specialized treatment for his level of radiation exposure.
Unauthorized radioactive material stored at landfill for nearly a year (Spring 2019-Spring 2020) at the same facility that processes highly flammable, potentially explosive landfill gases.
A Chemical explosion sent 1 employee to the emergency room with respiratory issues after driving over a barrel with winery chemical waste in it that exploded.
Ongoing issues with smell, noise, light pollution and pests all contributing to quality of life concerns and the health & safety of neighbors. A nuisance lawsuit was filed last week by a number of neighbors citing ongoing and unbearable issues with the Upper Valley Disposal Facility. To view the complaint filed with the Napa County courts click here.
Death of a worker at the Upper Valley Disposal site in 2013.
Dec. 2020 fire/combustion event at their composting facility.
Concerns about volume of out-of-county grape waste being processed at Upper Valley Disposal.
Management & Oversight
The company has had a litany of environmental violations and they are known for not employing the best patterns and practices.
The landfill is currently seeking a major use permit modification. They want to expand the landfill by 36 acres and bring their current operations up to compliance. They previously expanded operations without a viewshed permit, no permit for their new staging area and increased their solid waste footprint all done without CEQA.
Other landfills that are larger have on site engineers and can employ the best practices with economies of scale.
Most waste management companies are talking about Zero Waste, the upvalley community is still waiting for food composting. We are way behind the curve on best practices.
Well run refuse management companies are meeting and exceeding local, state and federal guidelines for landfills.
Even when Clover Flat Landfill was found to be in breach of their contract the Joint Powers Authority did not explore other options with other companies.
This company has operated in the Upper Napa Valley with a no-bid contract for the past 60 years.
The community has been told that our waste needs to stay in the county, this is not true. We have also been told no other company would be interested in bidding this is also not true.
From St. Helena Star in 2014: "The city of St. Helena sued Upper Valley Disposal Service (UVDS) and a subcontractor for allegedly damaging the lining of a pond at the Chaix Lane wastewater treatment plant, causing sewage to leak into the groundwater."
