Santa Barbara County wants to expand the capacity and therefore the lifespan of Tajiguas Landfill on the Gaviota Coast, seen here in 2021. (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk file photo)
Santa Barbara County wants to expand the capacity and therefore the lifespan of Tajiguas Landfill on the Gaviota Coast, seen here in 2021. (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk file photo)

Several expansions, improvements, and changes are in the works for the Tajiguas Landfill, which sits west of Goleta along the Gaviota Coast, in order to extend the landfill’s life by about 12 years.

Currently, the landfill’s capacity is expected to be exhausted by March 2026, so Santa Barbara County’s Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division proposes expanding the site by 14.25 acres, which would boost capacity by 6.1 million cubic yards.

This is expected to extend the landfill’s life to 2038.

In addition to increasing the maximum permitted height from 620 feet to 650 feet above mean sea level, the project is also set to build a stormwater sedimentation basin, and there will be minor operational changes.

Environmental documents for the project are available for review here.

Some of the significant impacts the project could pose to the environment include greenhouse gas emissions; potential loss of sensitive habitat for Crotch’s bumblebees; loss of sensitive and rare plants such as California brittle-bush scrub and Santa Barbara honeysuckle; and potential construction disturbances to other sensitive species.

Mitigation measures are also identified in the county’s expansion plan.

The Gaviota Coast Conservancy has expressed concerns and objections to the project, noting that the landfill is surrounded by Los Padres National Forest, the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, and the county’s Baron Ranch.

Conservancy representatives have also said the proposed expansion area currently serves as habitat for protected wildlife species and rare plant species. 

In addition, some of the landfill’s neighbors have complained about noxious odors and other nuisances from the landfill’s operations.

The final environmental impact report for the capacity increase project will be prepared this winter, and the county Board of Supervisors is expected to hold hearings on it in January or February 2024.

Trash, recyclables and organic waste are separated at Tajiguas Landfill’s Materials Recovery Facility in October after a two-week closure due to the Alisal Fire.
Trash, recyclables and organic waste are separated at Tajiguas Landfill’s Materials Recovery Facility. (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk file photo)

County Looks for New ReSource Center Operators

Carlyle Johnson, interim ReSource Center manager, announced last week that the Board of Supervisors will be holding a public hearing Dec. 12 to consider terminating the contract with ReSource Center operators MSB Investors, LLC. 

The ReSource Center includes facilities to divert additional trash from the landfill: the Materials Recovery Facility, anaerobic digester facility, and composting facility.

The county first contracted with MSB in 2016 and, according to the ReSource Center’s website, the County Public Works Department is looking to terminate the contract due to “MSB’s inability to complete final acceptance testing, maintain site safety, respond to Notices of Violations from local and state agencies and achieve the high environmental standards of the project.”

“Although some success has been achieved at the ReSource Center in both diverting waste from our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the project goals have not been fully met,” according to the county. “The Santa Barbara County Public Works Department is dedicated to developing and implementing innovative environmental solutions as well as maintaining its high environmental standards in order to reflect the values of the community we serve.”

The county is currently negotiating with new operators.

Supervisors Approve Access Road, Biofilter Repair Projects

Last week, the Board of Supervisors approved multiple landfill-related projects including construction for a groundwater protection system — with a total construction cost of over $1.2 million — and authorizing the Public Works director to advertise bids for a main access road extension and site improvements project. That project will repave and extend the main road and add a new wet-weather turnaround.

The supervisors also approved replacing ReSource Center Material Recovery Facility equipment damaged in the 2021 Alisal Fire.

The 2021 Alisal Fire damaged the biofilter structures, air ducting, support systems, and other systems of the facility.

Some portions of the burned biofilter will be demolished while other equipment will be repaired, according to county staff. The work is set to begin this fall, with a projected completion date by summer 2024.

Diani Building Corporation will be doing the work and the proposed budget over $2.9 million.

People work in protective suits Monday near the burned remains of a biofilter at the Tajiguas Landfill’s Materials Recovery Facility. Replacing the equipment damaged by the Alisal Fire will cost millions of dollars, according to the Public Works Department. The entire MRF cost 0 million and opened this year to divert more trash and extend the lifetime of the landfill.
People work in protective suits near the burned remains of a biofilter at the Tajiguas Landfill’s Materials Recovery Facility after the October 2021 Alisal Fire. (Lael Wageneck / Santa Barbara County Public Works Department photo)

— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.