Napa Valley Landfill Likely to Close, Reveals Internal E-Mail

News continues to unfold around a Napa Valley landfill, owned by Waste Connections, with a contentious history.  Cited in the past for multiple violations and today the subject of ongoing investigations, the Clover Flat Landfill in Calistoga, California, will now likely close.

Employees of the 60-year-old disposal site, owned until 2022 by the Pestoni family, have long complained about what they say they’ve seen and experienced.  In late 2023, 23 current and former workers jointly wrote to California’s Environmental Protection Agency with a laundry list of grievances. They say they were often exposed to contamination without protection or training. They alleged that the operator set up unmapped piping to illegally discharge wastewater; that landfill and compost fires were a persistent problem; and that they were threatened with consequences if they spoke up.  

Against the backdrop of rising employee voices, state-led investigations confirmed some issues, including high levels of PFAS in groundwater that was also in the landfill’s leachate.

Then early this year, environmental advocates learned through a public records act request (PRA) that the regional Water Quality Control Board found PFAS in a downstream creek – the same PFAS compounds identified in the disposal site’s groundwater and leachate earlier.

To Chris Malan, executive director of the Institute for Conservation Advocacy Research and Education (ICARE), the findings were no surprise. The nonprofit, which works to protect the region’s water, had done its own research ahead of the state agency, having become curious after learning of an unrelated event—illegal expansion of the landfill which resulted in creek contamination and a steep fine.

ICARE’s probe like the Water Board’s later investigation, uncovered PFAS in surface water it collected and sent to a lab.

These forever chemicals were among other hazardous contaminants that have been detected in Clover Flat’s leachate, nearby surface water, and groundwater—including several heavy metals. Malan and other advocates have been pushing to get the landfill closed, arguing the problems will otherwise continue, largely because of the site’s location.  

It’s perched atop a steep mountain range, with two adjacently positioned streams flowing into the Napa River. Adding to this challenging layout, the landfill was only engineered for a 20-year storm event.

“Climate change brought high levels of precipitation to northern California in 2019, 2022, and 2023. And all the leachate containment devices installed could not prevent overflow, erosion, and stormwater mixing with leachate running off the landfill into the waters of the state,” Malan says.

The landfill’s location comes with another hazard: surrounded by urban woodlands, the risk for fire is high.  Between 2013 and 2018, the local fire department responded to 13 fires at the landfill. Just this past June, there was a large event at the nearby Whitehall Lane green waste facility.

On top of these concerns, a September 2023 investigation into the allegations of unmapped piping confirmed the presence of such structures in a few nearby creeks. But the findings around their origin were limited, and the Water Quality Control Board recommended further review.

Waste Connections did not respond to Waste360’s requests for information. The Water Board wrote that its probe into environmental concerns around the landfill is ongoing and that they could not comment.

But a May 2024 email that advocates recently secured through a PRA request tells a little more of the story. It was written by a Waste Connections regional engineer, informing the County: “There have been some internal developments on our end for the Clover Flat site, including early closure of the landfill – the details are still being worked out.”

As talks of a shutdown circulate, more unresolved issues remain, according to Malan. She says the PFAS findings are among them.

She has uncovered other intel leveraging the PRA, including correspondence sent to state agencies regarding alleged illegal on-site storage of radiation (in old frack tanks used to hold leachate); and failure to properly handle the radiation or protect employees assigned to clean the tanks.

Other issues that appear to remain unresolved are damage to a newly constructed module and a landslide above the structure. And Malan calls out failure to comply with a state requirement to restore a nearby creek that filled with sediment due to improper erosion control.

The Napa County Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency is coordinating a joint investigation of the varied complaints, to be addressed by multiple agencies, depending on their focus areas (leachate treatment, worker safety, etc.).

“To date, no violations have been found, and we expect to release a comprehensive response in the near future,” says Peter Ex, the county’s solid waste program manager.

For now, preparation for closure is still in an early stage, with no timeframe or formal plans submitted to the county.

Inspections would continue after closure, and agencies, such as the Water Board and the Air Quality Management District, would play a role in maintaining compliance. And future development of the property would require approval through a post-closure land use plan, a Napa County spokesperson said, as reported in the Press Democrat.

There is speculation that a post closure plan will be complete by the end of 2024, with the landfill shuttering three to four years later.

While Waste Connections has yet to file for closure, Napa County’s Upper Valley Waste Management Agency will meet October 21, 2024 to begin discussions on possible next steps.