InsideVC.com
By John Scheibe
December 08, 2000
A long-running dispute between the city of Ventura and the county is getting even more heated as the county prepares to open a household hazardous waste facility next to the city's water treatment plant Saturday.
"This is a completely insane idea, to open this thing right next to the city's largest water treatment plant," Ventura City Councilman Jim Friedman said Thursday. Friedman is calling for Ventura residents to come to Monday's City Council meeting and tell council members exactly how they feel about the North Ventura Avenue hazardous waste facility being next to Ventura's water treatment plan.
For too long, Friedman said, the city and the county have been arguing over the facility's location behind closed doors.
"Now that the county is going to open the facility up, it's time residents of Ventura know what's going on," said Friedman, who once vowed to chain himself to the facility's front gate rather than allow it to open.
Friedman has backed off from that promise, saying he's letting calmer thoughts and more reasonable thoughts prevail.
But he thinks it will be healthy for the City Council to hear from residents regarding the location of the 5777 N. Ventura Ave. facility.
"If the residents don't care about this issue, then I will stop banging my head against the wall," said Friedman, who for almost to two years has been very vocal in his opposition to the facility's location.
"These are poisons we are talking about. If you drink a bottle of Drano, then you've got some problems."
The facility will begin taking common household hazardous materials, such as paint, oil, antifreeze, batteries and ammonia, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, its first day of operation.
County Public Works representatives insist it is safe.
Kay Martin, director of Ventura County Solid Waste Management Department, said there has yet to be an accident at any of dozens of similar facilities up and down the state. She also cited a $75,000 study, paid for by the county, which concluded the facility posed no threat to Ventura's water supply. The study found the city's water treatment plant is more threatened by drifting clouds of pesticides applied on nearby citrus orchards or by an exploding transformer on nearby power lines than by materials at the facility.
Peter Kaiser, a county waste management analyst, agrees.
"If anything, this facility is helping to clean up the environment and safeguard the water supply by taking in pollutants and recycling them," said Kaiser, during a recent tour of the facility. Kaiser and Martin also dismissed concerns by the city that a terrorist or prankster could lob something toxic from the facility into the water treatment plant.
"Somebody would have to have the arm of a gargantuan superman to throw anything over the wall," said Martin, referring to the wall separating the facility from the water treatment plant.
As an added precaution, Martin said, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department will open a field office at the facility Monday, the same day the council meets.
"This substation will provide an even greater level of security," Martin said. Martin added that the city backed out of a compromise for a similar facility about a mile south of the current location. City officials deny backing out.
Friedman said what is being forgotten in all of this is that the county is going ahead with opening a hazardous waste facility despite vigorous objections from the city.
Friedman said Venturans should not only tell council members how they feel about the facility's location but tell county supervisors as well.
Supervisor Frank Schillo said he is disappointed Friedman chose to put the item on the council's agenda without first discussing the issue with supervisors.
"I'm also disappointed the city chose to back out of putting the facility at another location," Schillo said.
— John Scheibe's e-mail address is mailto:[email protected].
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