Landfill project isn't as first promised

Up in the remote steep canyons of Colusa County, at the end of a dirt road, seems to be an odd place to dump mountains of urban garbage. Yet our neighbors, the Wintun-Cortina Band of Indians, entered into a lease agreement in 1995 with a Canadian company, Earthworks Inc., to develop a landfill. Since then, a lot has changed for the band and even more has changed in the project’s description.

The 1995 project was presented as a way to make life better for the members of the tribe and those living at the rancheria. A recycling and composting center promised to provide jobs and would allow the Indians to resell products for profit.

In 2000, the project description promised the garbage would be baled and dumped and covered with fill dirt. A materials recovery center would be on site for recycling purposes. More importantly, the project’s purpose was to benefit the tribe.

In 2008, the “new” construction plans for the landfill have been submitted for approval. Gone are the recycling and composting center along with the job opportunities first promised. A water well will be buried beneath tons of loose garbage, and sewage sludge will be accepted. It is questionable whether this project will actually benefit the tribe.

The proponents/developers say they are within their legal boundaries to overstep both California environmental law and county regulations due to tribal sovereignty. We all know that the environment does not respect either legal or political boundaries. Therefore, decisions about major actions such as the Cortina landfill need to be taken seriously. This is no time to lie down and let the bulldozers roll.

Colleen Ferrini

Williams