CIWMB Press Room Archives

Board Provides Grants to Clean Up Dump Sites: Funds will help erase years of illegal dumping at five rural locations

SACRAMENTO--The California Integrated Waste Management Board today approved more than $300,000 in grants to clean up debris illegally dumped on public and private lands in Northern California and the Central Coast.

"These projects will safeguard the health and safety of our citizens, and protect the wildlife and surrounding environment impacted by years of illegal dumping," said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. "to the Board plays a critical role in assisting communities that are most affected by illegal dumping, and help them to restore the rural beauty that is so much a part of California's identity."

The five sites awarded cleanup grants today include:

San Benito Resource Conservation District will use $93,617 to clean up and remove tons of concrete, trash and metal, and more than 100 tires that have been illegally disposed on three properties in rural San Benito County. One site is located on active, year-round farmland, while trash on the other sites threaten the San Benito River and nearby properties.

Monterey County Resource Conservation District will receive $92,381 to remove more than 350 car tires and 232 tons of waste that were illegally disposed onto four private parcels of property used to grow strawberries and vegetable row crops. It is believed that the waste comes from the migrant farm workers moving into and out of the county each year. Bilingual “no dumping” signs, fencing, and gates will be erected at each site to prevent further dumping.

Sutter County Resource Conservation District was awarded $61,930 to clean up seven longtime illegal dumping sites that are on active and productive orchard lands. The funds will be used to reimburse three Sutter County landowners who have been using their own money to combat illegal dumping for several years. Six of the sites are currently clean, while the remaining site has household waste and construction debris that needs to be cleaned and removed. The district will construct fences and gates to prevent future illegal dumping.

Yolo County Resource Conservation District receives $47,168 to clean and restore more than 600 acres of sheep-grazing lands in the Capay Valley. More than 120 cubic yards of garbage are strewn around the property. The illegal dumping is located in or near a seasonal creek that runs through the property. The property is fenced and gated so the likelihood of future illegal disposal is minimal.

Sierra Resource Conservation District will have $4,915 to reimburse a property owner who has spent considerable time and money cleaning up 45 cubic yards of waste were illegally disposed into a fallow orchard in the San Joaquin Valley east of Fresno. The landowner plans to replant the land and return it to an active, productive orchard. A renewed presence on the property and the posting of “no dumping” signs will reduce the probability of future illegal disposal.

Senate Bill 1330 (Lockyer, Chapter 875, Statutes of 1997) required the Board to establish a grant program under which cities and counties may seek financial assistance for cleanup of illegal solid waste disposal sites on farm or ranch property.

The grants awarded today come from the Waste Board's Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program, which provides up to $1 million annually in grants for the cleanup of illegal solid waste sites on farm or ranch property. The grants accelerate timely cleanup of dump sites that pose a risk to public health or the environment.

Farm and ranch solid waste cleanup and abatement grant program highlights:

• More than $4.5 million in grants awarded since 2003
• Approximately 250 sites cleaned and rehabilitated
• $1 million in grant funds available annually
• $50,000 maximum award per city/county; $10,000 maximum award per site

For more information on this program and the CIWMB, go to www.calrecycle.ca.gov.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use and protecting public health and safety and the environment.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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