San Benito County is considering whether to approve an expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill, located just east of Hollister, from its current size of 95 acres to 483 acres – the size of 365 football fields. This massive expansion is not because San Benito County’s residents generate that much trash, but because the landfill operator is hoping to accept waste from neighboring counties in order to increase their revenue. Instead of the approximately 300 tons of trash per day generated by San Benito residents, the John Smith Road Landfill would become a mega-dump, receiving up to 2,300 tons of garbage per day, 87% of which would come from outside the county (primarily Silicon Valley).

We’re pleased to report that the San Benito County Planning Commission voted to deny the proposal. However, the landfill operator, Waste Solutions, has appealed this decision to the Board of Supervisors, which will hear the appeal on March 26.

Expanded Landfill Would Harm the Environment and Community

Expanding the landfill could have huge impacts on the environment. Contamination of groundwater is a serious concern. Recently, the landfill operators were forced to test the wells of nearby residents due to a leak of toxic PFAS (known as “forever chemicals”), and increasing the landfill would only create more risk of contamination. The landfill itself would use massive amounts of water, pulling up to 408,000 gallons per month from the aquifer.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) found that increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is also a large concern. The larger landfill would release more methane gas pollution – methane is a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. In addition, hundreds more trucks and vehicles would be on the road, further increasing GHG emissions. The proposed haul route goes right by the hospital, shopping centers, homes, grocery stores, and the proposed site of the new high school in Hollister. Even with the extensive mitigation measures that have been identified, increases in GHG emissions are deemed to be significant and unavoidable.

The EIR also found that the aesthetic resources of San Benito County would be greatly impacted. At capacity, the landfill would change the landscape, creating piles so high that they would alter the views of the beautiful rolling hills in the area. These massive piles of garbage would be visible from State Route 25, which is the primary route to Pinnacles National Park. San Benito has the opportunity to protect these natural resources, and become known for this scenic highway leading through a beautiful area to a magnificent national park, or they can choose to send visitors to the park past the largest landfill in the region.

The Landfill Could Cost the County More Than It Generates

Increased traffic would also decrease the quality of life for San Benito residents, and would damage the roads. Although the landfill operator has promised that the expansion would generate revenue for the County, the County’s share of the cost of repairing the road damage from hundreds more trucks could wipe out much of that revenue. The Planning Commission, in voting to deny the project, found that “the economic benefits of the project may not be significant” and might actually end up costing the county money.

We are recommending that County Supervisors get clarification on exactly how much of the road repairs the County will have to pay for before making a decision about how to proceed.

Green Foothills Is Watching

Leading up to the County Planning Commission’s special meeting on January 31st, Green Foothills, along with local community members, sent letters to the Planning Commission, spoke at meetings, and organized a letter writing campaign. Given the many harms that would be caused by the landfill expansion, on February 7 the Planning Commissioners voted to deny the Conditional Use Permit for the landfill expansion.

The landfill operator is appealing the decision to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, which will hear the appeal on March 26.

Help Spread the Word

Do you have friends in San Benito County who would like to receive updates about this topic? Send them this article and suggest they sign up for Green Foothills’ e-newsletter at greenfoothills.org/subscribe so they can receive updates.