Sludge Watch ==> Calif: Barstow City Council opposes Nursery Products Sludge Proposal

[Maureen Reilly]

Thursday, November 9, 2006

The City Council opposes Nursery Products facility
By HOWARD DECKER Staff Writer Barstow California
Desert Dispatch

BARSTOW -- The City Council voted 4-0 at a special meeting Wednesday 
afternoon to oppose construction of a proposed wastewater plant waste 
composting facility near Hinkey.

Nursery Products LLC is proposing an open-air treatment and composting plant 
that would accept wastes from wastewater-treatment plants, combine the 
material with wood wastes and compost them.

Councilman Joe Gomez said he was very concerned about the potential level of 
traffic and the large number of large trucks that would be bringing the 
wastes into this area.

He said he was concerned the waste trucks would use the same roads used by 
the new Wal-Mart Distribution Center and that Wal-Mart might not be happy to 
have their trucks sharing the road with so many waste trucks.

The high volume of wastetruck traffic might cause a loss by the city of 
industrial businesses, Gomez said.

"There is new housing that is going on in this area," he said. "I don't 
think the county is aware of all this."

The resolution states the Council:

* Is concerned about the environmental impacts of the proposed "biowaste" 
facility and the undesirable consequences that would result from approval, 
specifically with air quality and traffic impacts;

* Finds that the proposed facility needs to comply with all the requirements 
of the Califor nia Environmental Quality Act;

* Finds the proposed facility needs to fully mitigate all negative impacts 
of the project to a less than significant level; and

* Finds that the project would need to have sufficient water to suppress 
fires.

Councilman Steve Curran said he was happy with the resolution as a political 
tool to help those who are unhappy with the project as proposed.

"It has a lot of teeth, some bite," he said.

The county has had a draft environmental impact report prepared for the 
proposed facility, and it will be before the county Planning Commission at 9 
a.m. Nov. 30 at 385 N. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino.

Mayor Lawrence Dale said the city is preparing to place comments into the 
draft environmental report record.