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HomeMy WebLinkAbout930502.tiff AMENDED RESOLUTION (underlining denotes amendments) RE: ACTION OF BOARD AT PROBABLE CAUSE HEARING CONCERNING SPECIAL REVIEW PERMIT #116 - WASTE SERVICES CORPORATION, C/O WASTE MANAGEMENT WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and WHEREAS, on April 5, 1993, a Probable Cause Hearing was held before the Board to consider setting a Show Cause Hearing to determine whether or not Waste Services Corporation was in compliance with a certain Condition of Approval contained in Special Review Permit #116, and WHEREAS, on June 6, 1993, the form of the Resolution approved and dated April 5, 1993, was reconsidered, and WHEREAS, it is necessary to include a listing of the issues to be considered at the Show Cause Hearing to clarify the intent of the Board in pending probable cause, and WHEREAS, the alleged violations were said to be occurring on property described as part of the W? SW* and the SE4 SW* of Section 32, Township 5 North, Range 66 West of the 6th P.M. , Weld County, Colorado, and WHEREAS, the Board, after hearing testimony from the Planning Department, finds that pursuant to the Standard in the Administrative Manual there is sufficient probable cause to schedule a Show Cause Hearing to consider whether or not the Special Review Permit issued to Waste Management Corporation should be revoked for failure to comply with a certain Condition of Approval, and WHEREAS, the term "party" should be changed to "persons" to reflect proper administrative procedures regarding accepting testimony, and WHEREAS, Commissioner Dale Hall's signature is to be corrected to reflect his vote on the Resolution of April 5, 1993, of nay, and WHEREAS, the Board shall hear evidence and testimony from all interested persons at said Show Cause Hearing. 930502 P1-0(037 �� AMENDED RESOLUTION SETTING SHOW CAUSE - WASTE SERVICES CORPORATION PAGE 2 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, that a Show Cause Hearing be scheduled to determine whether or not the Special Review Permit issued to Waste Services Corporation should be revoked. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the issues to be considered by the Board at said Show Cause Hearing are as follows: 1. Whether or not the permit holder is in compliance with Condition of Approval #1 which states: That any sanitary landfill facility to be installed shall be approved by the State Health Department. 2. Whether the operators of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill were required to and failed to submit a complete Design and Operations Plan, in violation of Section 30-20-103, CRS, and regulations promulgated thereunder. 3. Whether Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to operate without required discharge permits, in violation of Subsection 2. 1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations and 25-8-501, CRS. 4. Whether Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has contaminated the groundwater, and whether this contamination has migrated offsite, in violation of Subsections 2.1.2 of the Solid Waste Regulations, 3. 11.5 of the Water Quality Commission Rules, and 2. 1.4 of the Solid Waste Regulations. 5. Whether Central Weld Sanitary Landfill has allowed solid waste to come into contact with groundwater on this site resulting in the production of leachate, a source of groundwater pollution and public nuisance, a violation of Subsection 2. 1.4 of the Solid Waste Regulations. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the date for the Show Cause Hearing shall be October 13, 1993, at or about 10:00 a.m. , and the hearing shall be held in the First Floor Hearing Room of the Weld County Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, Colorado. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the correction to the vote of Commissioner Dale K. Hall to nay on the Resolution dated April 5, 1993, be, and hereby is, approved. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the term "party" be, and hereby is, changed to "persons" in Paragraph 5 of the Resolution dated April 5, 1993. 930502 AMENDED RESOLUTION SETTING SHOW CAUSE - WASTE SERVICES CORPORATION PAGE 3 The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted by the following vote on the 7th day of June, A.D. , 1993. / � i /I/ /J BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ///ATTEST: t WE COUNTY, COLORADO it LA Weld County Clerk to the Board ' /�yzep--> /I"`/4 Constance L. Harcbert, Chairman BY: '�, 6 ai ;2 Deputy Cler o the - d-1 W. H. Webster, Pro-Tem APPR9y.ED AS TO FORM: EXCUSED rge E. Baxt r Cam_. ( unty Atto ney Dale K. Hall „ii$hU£t_ A fAt4eA /Barbara J. Kirkm yer 930502 7---kak row`ARatey, . . Attorneys At Law • 1775 Sherman Street•Suite 1300 Y Denver, Colorado 80203 (303)861-1963•Fax: (303)832-4465 Ext. 123 May 27, 1993 Board of County Commissioners Weld County 915-10th Street, P.O. Box 758 Greeley, Colorado 80632 Re: Amendment to Resolution Setting Show Cause Hearing on Central Weld Sanitary Landfill Dear Commissioners: we gratefully respond to your request for written comments concerning amendments to the resolution you adopted concerning the Show Cause hearing on the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill scheduled for October 13, 1993 . These comments are submitted on behalf of the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association, a group of weld County residents which includes landowners of property immediately adjacent to the landfill, namely the Telep, Hayes, and Daniels families . We request that the resolution be amended in three respects to provide as follows : 1) That the subject of the October 13, 1993, hearing is whether the Special Review Permit No. 116 and the Certificate of Designation dated October 6, 1971 for the Central Weld County Landfill should be revoked; thus, all matters of alleged violation of the Special Review Permit and all matters within the scope of C.R.S. 30-20-112 regarding revocation of a certificate of designation for a solid waste disposal site and facility will be heard. 2) That the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association, and the Telep, Hayes, and Daniels families in their individual capacities, are recognized as parties to the revocation proceeding; and 3) That the certificate of designation for the facility is temporarily suspended under the authority of C.R.S. 30-20-112 pending decision by the Commissioners on revocation of the special review permit and certificate of designation. 930502 yy (4' C . ��-, w Our three requests are supported by the record of the April 5, 1993, probable cause hearing. The original hearing transcript is hereby submitted as part of that record, and we ask you to review and refer to it in the course of amending your resolution regarding the October 13, 1993, hearing. SCOPE OF THE OCTOBER 13, 1993 HEARING AND PARTIES THERETO On April 5, 1993, the Commissioners held a full day probable cause hearing regarding the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill . The Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association, the Telep, Hayes, and Daniels families appeared at the hearing, presenting 47 exhibits, a brief, and oral and written testimony, all of which is part of the record. Waste Management Inc. was granted extensive time to make its presentation, staff of the Weld County Health Department and the Colorado Health Department were heard, and any citizen wishing to make a comment was allowed to speak. The purpose of the April 5 hearing was to determine whether probable cause existed to revoke the special review permit and the certificate of designation for the Weld County Sanitary landfill . Under procedures of Weld County, a finding of probable cause results in a show cause hearing. Based on the record of the April 5 hearing, the Commissioners determined to issue a show cause order. The Show Cause order should issue to Waste Management Inc. and its subsidiary Waste Services, Inc. , and should clearly state that the subject matter of the hearing is for the owners and operators of the Central Weld Sanitary Landfill to show cause why Special Use Permit #116 and the October 6, 1971, Certificate of Designation should not be revoked. Having determined that probable cause exists, the subject matter of the show cause hearing is whether violations of the Special Use Permit and the Certificate of Designation have occurred; if so, then the Permit and Certificate must be revoked. C.R.S. 30-20-112 provides as follows: 30-20-112 . Revocation of certificate. The board of county commissioners, after reasonable notice and public hearing, shall temporarily suspend or revoke a certificate of designation that has been granted by it for failure of a site and facility to comply with all applicable laws, resolutions, and ordinances or to comply with the provisions of this part 1 or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto. Accordingly, a solid waste disposal site and facility must comply with all requirements applicable to it. Violations of a number of applicable requirements were evidenced in the record of the April 5 hearing. Mr. Lee Morrison of the County Attorney' s 2 . 9 3050z Office, at the conclusion of that hearing advised the Commissioners as follows : "If you find probable cause today, that doesn' t assure that you will find grounds to revoke in the future. But what I 'm saying is, you don' t have to determine with finality the facts upon which you base your decision. You need to weigh them and say, Is there grounds to go forward? Are there enough facts that have been laid out to justify having a more complete hearing. " (Transcript 4/5/93 at p. 231, lines 16-24) . Commissioner Kirkmeyer, moved for a show cause hearing. The motion was approved after explicit discussion about information indicating violations of the special review permit and State Health Department regulations : t, Kirkmeyer: I w is d robableove the causeBoard and reasonable grounds to Commissioners determine i that t there p believe that facts exist that Central Weld County Landfill and its owner is not in Compliance with SUP-116 . . . . (a discussion about scheduling ensued) "Ms. Kirkmeyer: I would add that to my motion, and schedule show cause hearing on October 13, 1993 . Mr. Webster: Second. Ms. Harbert: It ' s been moved by Barbara Kirkmeyer and seconded by Bill Webster to schedule a show cause hearing for October 13, 1993 . . . (a discussion about continuing the probable cause hearing rather than scheduling a show cause hearing ensued) "Ms. Kirkmeyer: I guess, to that, I would answer, not only has Waste Management stated they feel there is a violation. Whether it ' s minor or they think it could be remedied, it ' s still a violation. Also, the Attorney General ' s letter of March 5, 1993, that concurs with the Colorado Department of Health that there is a violation of 2 . 1.4 And our own Weld County Health Department also cited the operation for four violations that they still feel they are not in compliance with. " (Transcript 4/5/93 , pp. 236-237 , lines 22-25, 1; PP• 240-241, lines 20-25, 1-2; p. 242, lines 6-15) . (the roll call vote was then taken and the motion was approved) 3 . 930592 The transcript of the April 5 hearing, see pertinent pages attached, contains a recitation of violations presented to the Commissioners by Mr. John Pickle of the Weld County Health Department. His evidence was that the facility is in violation based on the following: 1. No design preoftthes plan was Health Departmenteobtained the priorfacility, nor was nge approval to condition no. 1 of commencing operations at the site, contrary 1971, and in Special Review Permit resolution of October 6, violation of C.R.S. 30-20-103; 2 . The Central Weld Sanitary Landfill continues to operate in violation of C.R.S. 25-8-501 which requires a water pollution control discharge permit; 3 . Groundwater has been contaminated by the landfill and the coniolation of tions moved in off site DepartmentofvHealth' s SolidcWaste 2 . 1.1 Regulations and Section 3 . 11. 5 of the regulations of the. Colorado Water Quality Control Commission; 4 . Solid waste has come into contact with groundwater at this site, resulting in a source of groundwater pollution and a public nuisance, also a violation of Section 2 . 1.4 of the State of Colorado Solid Waste Regulations. The Weld County Health Department concluded thath"there eware reuse sufficient facts shown to justify proceeding Hearing. " (Transcript 4/5/93, p. 18, lines 12-13) . As Commissioner Kirkmeyer correctly recollected, a witness f that solid come into on ctt with groouundwater and thatent Inc. dwater pollutionte hadaresulted, contact houh g though the witness attempted to minimize the nature and extent of the violation: "Mr .as a result of that contact, what we believe has occurred r is compound impacts in the is limited volatile organic shallow groundwater, as delineated in this Dove what ed we" found are (Transcript 4/5/93 p. 40 , lines 12-15) basically four volatile organic compounds which exist in the shallow groundwater. . . " (Transcript 4/5/93 p. 42, lines 15-17) . Mr. Butler also stated that the levels of these compounds exceed the State of Colorado and Federal drinking water standards, though, again, he tried to minimize the violation: "Mr. Butler . . .concentrations that we found are only slightly above, only slightly exceeding the State of Colorado 4and tFederal drinking water standards. . . " (Transcript 4/5/93 p. 4 . 930502 Waste Management Inc. also admitted that thefacility ysdoes not have a water pollution control discharge permit Vfor or, its discharge from the underdrra source. Thesepollutants, VOns were made on ith discharged d fMr . a point pages the record by Mr. Roy, Waste Management' s attorney, at 63-64 of the transcript, attached. Mr. Roy predicted that the permit would be granted. However, State and Federal law prohibit discharges of pollutants without a permit; no exception i made 25Scha ges forew which a permit application is p o seC.R.S. In addition to the above violations, evidence presented at the hearing showed that the landfill is causing nuisance conditions to surrounding property owners, including the Daniels vand the iolationaofsSectionf22.. 1 .4eof the u t State Department uisance conditions is a Health Solid Waste Management regulations. The record contains evidence idenc results in own that the landfill debriscauses fires which noise pollution, air pollution, trespass onto the property of others, causing loss of the use and enjoyment of property and affecting the health and welfare of citizens, as well as causing a safety hazard Sdue 4too dump traffic. Please see the 4/5/93 Transcript at pages g 118 . That these nuisance conditions exist and continue is inue (se evident from an occurrence of April 19 , reported to Mr . ck eeastic, letter of April 26, 1993 attached) . On that day "Yellow mail, paper plastic bags, diapers, newspapers, invoices, j cups, lids, etc. " blew into the Daniels ' fences, trees, irrigation ditches, and barrow pits . waste Management, in correspondence to the Board by Mr. Roy, has attempted to limit tge issues assertswhich that Waste heard Management is October t know1993 hearing.tu entitled to know the naturecial the ReviewePermits#116nandaahee as the basis for revocation of Sp 19#1 for the site and certificate of designation dated October 6, facility. Had the April 5, 1993, hearing not occurred, this assertion might have some credibility. However, the transcript of the hearing,and WastetManag ment' she xhibitspownreseadmissions,nted in including ection tthose made h the by Mr. Roy concerning the lack of a discharge permit, clearly show that Waste Management has actual notice of the allegations against it which form the basis for revocation. However, it might be prudent in view of Waste Management' s attempt to limit the hearing to include a provision in the Show Cause resolution which states that: 5 . 9305"2 "All matters of alleged or potential violations which April 5, came to light in connection with the Commissioners' hearing oof fOAtril 5, 13, 1993, are included within the scope of the hearing tiot #26 1993, the purpose of which is to review evidence of violation of Special Review Permit #116 and Certificate of Designation dated October 6, 1971 for the Central Weld Sanitary landfill, and al Review and the te of to revoke the ifSanyisuch violations Permit found torexistaDor has occurred. per on, party, or m�erear evidence of the public offered as to whether her neeCentra person, party, the Central Weld Sanitary resolution, regulation, oriordiion aancef This hear any appling being e held ee the authority of C.R.S. 30-20-112 and the lag is use the land and zoning authorities of Weld County. " We also request that the following language be included in the resolution regarding the Show Cause hearing:d the"The Ashton-Daniels samiiliesbin theiood rssociation individualacapacitiesiare, Hayes, and as Pat orties and shall have Recognized heard and spresent eevidence as any other the same party." The record of the April 5 hearing demonstrates that the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association and the Telep, Hayes and Daniels families are proper parties to the Show eCause ahearing aas neighboring property owners who are suffering property values. The e persons and damage to their prop yC es and Association fe to their persons are represented by roviina valuable and these blic benefit through h° heir and are a providing a wea p their own property participation as well as defending personal rights. The Association and the Telep, Hayes and Daniels family are willing to have reasonable discovery conducted by Waste Management Inc. concerning their evidence and info tion, and they request reasonable rights of discovery as to the Central Weld County landfill . said The County' s resolution following the April 5 hearing fsai arties. " Waste Management has argued that the that the Commissioners "shall hear evidence and testimonny r and ayesAsm l interested-Daniels p Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association and the Telep, Daniels families are not parties to the October 13 hearing. l Having presented their bona fide credentials at the April 5 hearing, and in light of C.Rht• 30-20-112 of the factwhich that provides hey are, and represent, t, and in lrtg represent, adjacent property owners who suffer from the consequences of violations of law at the Central Weld Sanitary landfill, the Ashton-Daniels Neighborhood Association and the 6 . 930592 Telep, Hayes and Daniels families t t at are entitled o proceeding. and treated as interested parties IN LIGHT OF THE ADMITTED EVIDENCE OF VIOLATION OF STATE HEALTH CERTIFICATE DE PEEN REGULATIONS AND OTHERAPPCOUUNNT AP LAN PLICABLE MUST BE OF PORIRILYISUSPEENDED PENDINGOR THE CENTRAL WELD HEARING OF OCTOBER 13, 1993 TEMPORARILY and regulations at the Central Waste ed Above we have recited the evidence of violation of applicable laws,il . resolutions, the ce County landfill. Some of these violations were admitted by tion Management Inc. at the April 5 hearing, of groundwater and the lack of a water pollution discharge permit. C.R.S . 30-20-112 provides that the Commissioners after public hearing, shall temp with d reasonable notice ci and nation for failure to comply or revoke a certificate of designation lations . all applicable laws, resolutions, and regu The April 5 This language is mandatory, not discretionary.public hearing occurred after ehasnable provided1ce thatnd was a a faciliy in violation o The Legislature suspended or 1993, proceeding is a show cause must have its certificate temporarily revoked.ain The revocation.cto 13, temporary revocation provision of the statute oncovers a The like present one where admitted proceeding is pending. violations nshave situation ur the p violations occurred and a revocation p Accordingly, we ask the Commission to make the following finding and issue the following rder: "The Commissioners find that the Central Weld County C un g,public Sanitary Landfill, based on admissions made by the a noticed wn hoearing and their of agents on April sio 5. 1993, e.c n4 of m the hfagrng in front of this Commission, has. caused the contamination ofinofregulations and section 3.11.5 of of olor violation SodWaste s 2.s'1 and dosecti Co3. 11. 5on Stateth gf Colorado' s n he Co ora the regulations of the Colorado Water Quality and has discharged pollutants into State waters without a permit in violation of C.R.S. 25-8-501 et. seq. Accordingly, under the authority of C.R.S. 30-2012, the Certificate of Designation dated October to er 6d 97 , issued by and Commission is hereby temporarilySpecial Review g Permit o#116 scheduled for October n on revocation of the t13, 1993ificate ." p 7 . 930502 the Commissioners for requesting the submittal of We comments, and we ask that you revise your resolution to wrinclude heprovisions include the provisions we set forth above. Dated this 27th day of May, 1993 Respectfully submitted l Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. Hobbs, Trout & Raley, P.C. Attorneys for Ashton- Daniels Neighborhood Association, Telep, Hayes and Daniels Families cc. Mr. Arthur Roy Mr. Gene Megyesy Mr. Lee Morrison Dr. Patricia Nolan 8 . 930502 26 April 1993 Mr. John Pickle Weld County Health Department 1517 16th Ave. Ct. Greeley, CO 80631 Dear Mr. Pickle, This is to confirm my complaint in writing concerning blowing dust and debris from the landfill on April 19, 1993, in the early afternoon. Yellow plastic, plastic bags, diapers, newspapers, invoices (from as far as Riverton, Wyoming) , junk mail, paper cups, lids, etc.--all "sticky and dirty"--lined our fences, landed in our trees, lined our, irrigation ditches, and barrow pits. Debris was flying 50 feet in the air. Undoubtedly, not very many complaints were received by your office. Bear in mind, the neighbor to the east and the one directly south have a lot of cash to lose if they make waves. Their fences, fields and ditches were likewise "trashed out." That leaves us, when the wind is from the north, and concerned citizens who notice and care but are not being trashed out diroccly, to file a complaint. I personally got extremely nauseated and had to leave home. With the facility taking medical waste, contaminated soil, and household hazardous wastes, how do we know what contaminates are blowing through and around our property? The facility now has a "dream" of taking "SPECIAL WASTES" from all over the United States and Canada. I don't think there is a chance of our county approving this! If their absurd "dream" was approved and became an environmental nightmare, what air quality could we expect? How far does the air contamination go? This is an area of extreme winds. In the past five years, we have replaced three storm doors due to north winds, tin and shingles blow off buildings, storm windows are broken, and everything has to be tied down. Our son's 6 ft. plastic swimming pool flew 600 feet to the area of our well a few years ago! This area is not only unsuited for a landfill due to hydrology and ueolooy, but also due to wind patterns. 9ZO5C2 2 Please take this matter seriously, and provide adequate protection for the health and safetyisaofl of WeldbCoun t any tizens. We need is done to the do close and clean environment. Sincerely, 110- pY - • , ')°nw `� Madeline` Daniels 23732 WCR 271/2 Milliken, CO 80643 339-0629 cc: Governor Roy Romer Attorney General's Office Colorado Department of Health Weld County Commissioners Weld County Planning/Engineering Senator Hank Brown Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Representative Wayne Allard Mr. Don Bain Senator Thomas Norton Mr. Dave Owen City of Greeley City of Evans Town of Milliken 93O502 Hello