Ibanez dump site cleanup.
The mission of the collaborative is to clean up and prevent illegal clumping on the Torres Martinez Reservation.
This status report is published to update all stakeholders and community members on the progress of this
multi-agency effort. If you would like to be involved in the collaborative, contribute to the next status report
or request additional copies of this one, please contact Erica Yelensky (yelensky.erica@epa.gov; tel:
(415) 972-3021) or Willard Chin (chin.willard@epa.gov; tel: (415) 972-3797) of EPAs Pacific Southwest
Regional Office.
df% II 'irVlJk United States
|=	i Environmental Protection
"'4,0s' J==IJ m * Agency
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX
75 Hawthorne Street (CED-3)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attn: Willard Chin
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use, $300
Address Service Requested
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
POSTAGE & FEES
PAID
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PERMIT NO. G-35
Paper contains 30% post consumer recycled fiber.
A t
lorres Martinez Solid
Waste Collaborative
A Partnership of Tribal, Federal, State and Local Agencies
to Stop Illegal Dumping on the Reservation
¦

STOP ILLEGAL DUMPING
Keep our Reservation BeautifuHSE
Report Violators (760) 341 STOP
$$$ REWARD $$$

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pleased to present the third edition of the
Torres Martinez Solid Waste Collaborative Status Report. Since the collaborative was
formed in April 2006, it has closed the three largest dumps on the reservation and
cleaned up and installed access controls for half of the 20 smaller dumps, In addition,
we have conducted emergency response actions to eliminate imminent health risks,
set up check-points for trucks headed to the reservation, conducted aerial monitoring,
erected billboards offering rewards for reporting violators, conducted an aggressive
outreach campaign in English and Spanish, reaching from Palm Springs to the Salton
Sea, and EPA has initiated four enforcement actions against dump operators.
March 2007 Status Report
FPA-QOQ-f

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PROGRESS TO DATE
DUMP CLEANUP AND ACCESS CONTROL
Through the efforts of the collaborative, 10 of the 20 known
illegal waste sites have been cleaned up and have
access control. The Torres Martinez Tribe has cleaned up
five dumpsites since the last collaborative meeting in
October 2006, The California Integrated Waste Manage-
ment Board (CIWMB) approved $1.75 million to fund the
cleanup of the Ibanez illegal dump site (Mt. San Diego)
site - three 40-acre allotments covered with more than
400,000 cubic yards of sewage sludge, landscaping/
green waste, gypsum wallboard, and ash. Phase I of the
cleanup is nearly complete, and when CIWMB completes
phase II in fall 2007/winter 2008 the majority of the prop-
erty will be restored for potential agricultural use.
Auclair dump site during cleanup.
On October 18, 2006, EPA issued a Unilateral Admini-
strative Order (UAO) under the Comprehensive Enviro-
nmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(Superfund Law) to George S. Auclair, Jr., for removal of
hazardous substances at the Auclair dump site. Because
Mr. Auclair failed to respond to the order, EPA began
removing hazardous waste from the Auclair facility and
secured the site with a berm and partial trench in
February 2007. To date, approximately 100 cubic yards
of unburned CCA-treated wood stakes, 1,600 pounds of
waste oil and sludge, 1,400 tons of burn ash materials
and 400 pounds of asbestos-cement piping have been
transported off the site for disposal, Lastly a berm and
trench-barrier have been constructed around the
property perimeter. The cleanup has cost over $300,000.
On March 13, the California integrated Waste Manage-
ment Board approved $1 million in additional funding to
remove the solid waste from the Auclair site.
On February 27, a group of landfill and fire experts
assessed the Lawson dump site to evaluate its imminent
risk. This group (including representatives from BIA, CIWMB,
the Riverside County Fire Department, the Riverside
County Environmental Health Department, the Torres
Martinez Tribe, and the South Coast Air Quality Manage-
ment District (SCAQMD), evaluated actions needed to
reduce the risk of fires at the Lawson site, EPA's contrac-
tor is preparing a treatment options report for the site,
BIA and other collaborative agencies will carry out this
solution as soon as possible.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The Outreach Taskforce has been actively engaging
waste generators in the Coachella Valley area to inform
them of legal waste disposal options and to warn them
that there are no approved waste disposal sites or
recycling facilities within the Torres Martinez Reservation.
The taskforce sent over 500 "no-dumping" flyers to waste
haulers, builders, golf course operators and growers. The
tribe built seven billboards on the reservation with the
message "Stop Illegal Dumping. Keep our Reservation
Beautiful, Report Violators (760] 341-STOP." Taskforce
leaders also played a visible role at the annual date
festival, handing out flyers and talking to Coachella Valley
residents about the importance of reducing waste and
recycling.
The Coachella Valley was hit hard by the cold spell this
past winter. To stay warm some residents burned grape
stakes treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA),
which iook similar to firewood. However, when burned or
cut, CCA-treated wood becomes extremely hazardous
and can cause nausea, sore throat, dizziness and
headaches. Further, arsenic is also a known carcinogen.
Members of the collaborative including the South Coast
Air Quality Management District, Department of Toxic
Substance Control, Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry, the Torres Martinez Tribe and EPA
mobilized quickly to produce Spanish and English public
service announcements and fact sheets, and met with
growers to inform them of best practices for managing
CCA-treated grape stakes.
{%)
California
Environmental
Protection
Agency
CITY" Of'
INDIO
Help Stop Illegal Dumping
Call Crimestoppers to report
violators: 1-760-341-STOP
$$$ Reward $$$
Handout, distributed by the Outreach Taskforce at. the 2007
Riverside County Fair and Date Festival.
The Outreach Taskforce holds bi-weekly conference calls
to plan outreach opportunities. Members of the taskforce
include the Torres Martinez Tribe, Riverside County Code
Enforcement & Community Improvement Department,
Riverside County Fire Department, and EPA.
MONITORING COMPLIANCE
Since the collaborative's last meeting in October 2006,
the group has been conducting surveillance, inspections
and road-side stops that have resulted in three arrests and
the initiation of four enforcement actions, The Riverside
County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol (CHP)
issued nine citations for vehicle code violations, stopped
at least one waste hauler from dumping on the reservation
and apprehended a state prison escapee in November
2006. Riverside County Sheriff Deputies arrested three
people and impounded a vehicle for illegal dumping 100
yards from the Torres Martinez Reservation on March 3.
The CHP and Riverside County Sheriff's Office also
conducted aerial monitoring of the reservation to track
existing and new illegal dumpsites.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District installed
a temporary 24-hour PM-10 air monitor at the K-12
Education Park in Thermal, The school has been
concerned about air pollution from nearby dump fires,
The results of the data will help the air district determine if
the results are similar to their monitoring station in Indio.
BIA ordered George Auclair and Tony Santillanes, who
had been operating a towing yard adjacent to the Auclair
facility, to cease and desist all activities on the allotments
in and around the Auclair dump site and to immediately
refrain from operating any business on the land without a
lease approved by the Secretary of the Interior. EPA has
also issued compliance orders assessing penalties against
Mr. Auclair and Mr. Santillanes for violations of hazardous
and solid waste laws at their facilities. In addition, EPA
has notified two trailer park owners of pending
enforcement actions for improper waste management.
Members of the Monitoring Compliance Taskforce
include the Torres Martinez Tribe, Riverside County Sheriff's
Office, CHR SCAQMD and EPA,
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
The Torres Martinez Tribe is developing a Web site to better
inform the community of the collaborative's activities. The
Web site serves two purposes: l) to act as a central
clearing house for tracking open and closed dump sites
on the reservation and 2) to exhibit the outreach materials
created by collaborative members.
The Torres Martinez Tribe and EPA are working to improve
the tribe's solid waste management infrastructure. In 2007
the tribe will update its integrated solid waste manage-
ment plan and conduct a waste stream analysis, These
two planning activities will be essential to ensure proper
waste disposal on the reservation.
Members participating in the Infrastructure Development
Taskforce include the Torres
COLLABORATIVE MEMBERS
TRIBE
Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribal Council,
Tribal Administrator, Tribal Resource Manager, Planning
Department and Environmental Department.
FEDERAL
U.S. EPA, BIA, Indian Health Service, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, USDA Rural Devel-
opment, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
STATE
California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB),
South Coast Air Quality Management District, California
Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Air
Resources Board, California Environmental Protection
Agency (Cal/EPA) and California Highway Patrol.
LOCAL
City of Coachella, City of Indio, Coachella Valley
Association of Governments, Desert Alliance for
Community Empowerment, Desert Mirage High School,
Mecca Community Council, Oasis Community Council,
Riverside County Code Enforcement and Community
Improvement Department, Riverside County, Riverside
County Department of Environmental Health, Riverside
County Department of Waste Management, Riverside
County District Attorney's Office, Riverside County Fire
Department/California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection, Riverside County Sheriff, and Southern
Coachella Valley Service District.
USDA
ft Rural
g Development


-h£>
Department of Toxic
Substances Control
/: Office of
# i Native Amerian
Programs
Office of Public b Irdiin Housing

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