Orange County leaders’ proposal to double the amount of trash going to the Prima Deshecha landfill on a daily basis is facing strong pushback in South County, with thousands of signatures on a petition opposing the expansion and over half a dozen other government agencies raising red flags over the plan. 

On Thursday night, Orange County residents are about to get one of their first opportunities to address county leaders face to face over their new plans at a town hall in San Clemente. 

County leaders argue the landfill’s expansion from 4,000 tons of trash per day to 8,000 is an essential increase because of plans to shut down the Olinda Alpha landfill in Brea, which means more trash will be diverted to the Bowerman Landfill in Irvine and Prima Deshecha, which sits on the edge of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente.  

Read: South OC Residents Protest Plans To Double Trash Capacity At Local Landfill

But residents who live nearby the dump have a different story.

In hundreds of letters to county staff, residents say they already face problems including frequent odors, bad traffic, noise and trash trucks cutting through their neighborhoods to get to the landfillP.

“Landfill operations have contributed to a noticeable increase in dust accumulation, as well as infestations of flies, pests, and scavenging birds such as crows in surrounding neighborhoods,” wrote Omar Alzubaidi, a resident of San Juan Capistrano. “Furthermore, the increase in daily tonnage will lead to more truck traffic, worsening diesel emissions, noise pollution, and safety risks.”  

“Given the existing burdens already placed on nearby residents,” Alzubaidi continued. “I strongly urge you not only to reject the increase in daily tonnage capacity, but also to implement stricter oversight, enforcement, and community protections as outlined above.” 

Tania Alward, principal of the San Clemente Christian School, also brought up concerns on how the increase would impact the kids she’s responsible for.

“While I write today as a school leader, I also write as a parent. The thought of knowingly increasing air pollution in the very community where my own children live, learn, and play is very concerning to me,” Alward wrote. “The designation of ‘significant and unavoidable’ impacts should cause us all to stop in our tracks and delve into other options for the removal of waste in our area.” 

Several government agencies also raised concerns about the expansion, including the City of San Juan Capistrano, which is home to the landfill. 

In a letter to the county, City Manager Benjamin Siegel highlighted that the proposal didn’t take into account the increased traffic from more trash trucks heading to the landfill and complained about the existing impacts of the landfill for residents. 

“The City respectfully requests that OCWR continue to work with San Juan Capistrano residents who live adjacent to the Project site to address air quality, noise and odor concerns,” Siegel said. “While the City supports OCWR’s composting activity at Prima, City residents are impacted by odors from that process.” 

The Capistrano Unified School District trustees also unanimously sent in a letter raising concerns about the impact to the 2,800 students at San Juan Hills High School, which is about half a mile from the landfill and downwind. 

In the letter, written by district Superintendent Christopher Brown, district leaders brought up concerns that the county did not properly study the amount of traffic, odor or noise impacts on students. 

“The district respectfully requests that the County further evaluate these impacts and consider appropriate additional mitigation measures to protect the health, safety and learning environment of the school’s students, parents and staff,” Brown wrote. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which manages air quality for the landfill, raised concerns that the county hasn’t done enough analysis on the impacts from more trash getting pushed into the landfill or the gas from all the trucks driving down to the landfill. 

Other agencies didn’t issue complaints, but had a series of questions on how the expansion would impact the future of the landfill. 

The California Department of Transportation also encouraged county leaders to study more of the transportation issues, saying they need to speak more with local residents about the impacts from the air quality and traffic issues. 

They also encouraged studying whether the Prima Deshecha landfill needs more on site truck parking spaces and encouragement of low or zero emission vehicles. 

On Thursday night, city and county leaders are set to attend a town hall at Talega Swim and Athletic Club at 100 Calle Altea, San Clemente to listen to more concerns from the community about the project.

Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.