| Why is the County
rather than the cities managing our landfills and
planning for RELOOC? |
| The County is responsible for providing all Orange
County residents with “regional” services
and managing the associated regional facilities.
Cities are responsible for providing “municipal”
services unique to their local residents’
needs. Managing the disposal of solid waste and
the county landfill system is considered a “regional”
responsibility. Therefore, the County is responsible
for planning for RELOOC. |
| |
| What is the difference
between “regional” and “municipal”
facilities and services? Why is this difference
important to RELOOC? |
“Regional” refers to facilities and
services that the County and cities have agreed
are essential to all residents within the Orange
County region and are infeasible and/or too expensive
for individual cities to provide on their own. For
example, most cities do not have sufficient land
and could not afford to own and operate their own
landfill. Also, it would not be feasible, prudent
or desirable to have 33 landfills in Orange County.
“Municipal” services and facilities
are more appropriately and cost effectively supplied
by the cities. Examples of these include building
and safety code enforcement, street sweeping and
maintenance, local recreation and cable television.
RELOOC is planning for Orange County’s “regional”
landfill system. While cities can plan their municipal
services independently, planning for regional services
requires the understanding and cooperation of all
cities and their residents in order to succeed. |
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| What is a “host
city” referred to in RELOOC? |
| “Host cities” are cities that have
County landfills within their Sphere of Influence
(SOI) or city limits and may be directly affected
by the landfills. The County will mitigate as much
as possible impacts on the host cities related to
the landfills. Host cities in Orange County include
Brea, Irvine, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. |
| |
| What is “mitigation”
referred to in RELOOC? |
| These are actions taken to eliminate, minimize
or offset County landfill impacts on a “host
city.” The most common impacts from Orange
County’s landfills are truck traffic and noise.
These impacts can be “mitigated” by
limiting the number, hours and routes of truck traffic
associated with landfill disposal. |
| |
| Does the RELOOC
plan consider environmental concerns? |
| Yes. Any RELOOC option selected must undergo California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis to ensure
all regulations are followed and mitigations are
in place to address potential environmental impacts.
Additionally, RELOOC’s Phased Option includes
a feasibility component to further ensure that the
impacts to the environment are factored into planning. |
| |
| What is meant
by “local control”? |
| This refers to the degree of authority and influence
the County and cities have over how Orange County’s
solid waste is disposed of and managed. Having control
enables the County and cities to cooperate with
one another to stabilize and ensure reasonable fees,
maintain the viability of the landfill system, reduce
the risks associated with relying upon other regions
outside of Orange County for waste disposal services
and explore the use of new technologies. |
| |
| Does RELOOC consider
local control? |
| Yes. Local control is one of RELOOC’s key
planning factors. City leaders play a central role
in working with County officials to determine how
best to maintain local control. As they do this
they also balance the needs of individual Orange
County cities with those of the region. There is
increasing recognition that the County and Cities
must work together to address regional needs and
services. |
| |
| Are Orange County’s
landfills regulated to protect our safety? |
| Yes. The County’s landfill system incorporates
environmental safeguards designed specifically for
each of the three different landfill sites. These
include state and federally regulated surface and
ground water monitoring and protection systems,
gas control and monitoring systems, and waste inspection
programs to prevent non-permitted waste from being
deposited at the landfill. |
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