Cleanup of illegal dumpsite finally complete
EL CENTRO — Under a state mandate, Imperial County earlier this week completed the cleanup and closure of the Cruickshank Road illegal disposal dumpsite.
The site is an approximately 60-acre illegal dump located about 1.5 miles east of Imperial that had been receiving waste since the 1940s. In October 2016 the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with Zusser Co. Inc. to do the cleanup project, which would involve removing approximately 130,000 cubic yard of waste, for what was then $6.6 million.
Zusser completed the project and demobilized the site in May for $8 million. The final cost, taking into account contractors, consultants and staff, will be closer to $9 million said Imperial County Department of Public Works Director John Gay.
Since the city of El Centro owns the majority of land at the dump site, it will pay 80 percent of the $9 million of the overall cost. Gay said the cost to the county is about $1.8 million.
The department has been working with the various regulatory agencies,
including the Imperial County Health Department’s Division of Environmental Health, which acted as the local enforcement agency to certify the project is closed and rescind the June 2012 violation.
The county also received a $750,000 grant toward the project for technical resources from CalRecycle, the state body that regulates illegal dumping and landfills.
Of the 60 acres, El Centro owns a 40acre parcel, and the county owns the adjoining 20-acre parcel.
The county’s portion of the project will come from the general fund, as the project puts the solid waste account into the red.
There was also five times more hazardous waste than what had been initially predicted at the site, and the Imperial Fire Department had to be called in to help.
The city of El Centro and Imperial County joined forces through a memorandum of understanding to clean their respective properties in 2013, which CalRecycle required.
Waste dumped at the site included discarded construction materials, spent ammunition, glass, municipal waste and more.
“It’s been there for decades,” Gay said.
The site that is gated off and now consists of a big hole in the ground, Gay said.
No decision has been made as to how the two parcels will be used going forward or whether there will be an agreement between the two government entities to find a shared use for the properties.
Supervisor Ray Castillo has proposed a shooting range for local law enforcement, but said he knows this could only be done if the city agree to a joint venture.