Towsley Canyon : L.A. Council Votes to Buy Into Dump Site

After assuring environmentalists that the city remains committed to recycling, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted to buy into a proposed new landfill northwest of Granada Hills.

If it passes environmental review, the Towsley Canyon dump could be in operation in 3 years, city sanitation officials said.

The council’s 12-0 vote sent the ordinance, which authorizes the city to pay $425,000 for a one-third share of the landfill’s cost, to Mayor Tom Bradley for his signature.

The Los Angeles County Sanitation District, which has an option to buy the land, invited the city to participate.

Both the city and county are fast running out of dump space, and several canyons along the San Fernando Valley’s northern rim are under consideration for new or expanded landfills.

Elsmere Top Choice

While support for buying into Towsley Canyon was unanimous, council members said the city’s first choice for a new landfill remains Elsmere Canyon, south of the city of Santa Clarita and east of the Golden State Freeway.

But Towsley is a “backup, an insurance policy to Elsmere, which is our first choice,” said Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents the northwest Valley.

Before approving the $425,000 appropriation, the council affirmed the city’s commitment to recycling.

The motion, drafted by Westside Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, requires that all landfills jointly owned by the city and county restrict access to governments that have strict recycling programs.

Under the motion, to be eligible to use a city-county dump, a government or sanitation district must cut garbage output per person by 30% between 1988 and 1991 and an additional 20% by the year 2000.

‘Commitment to Recycling’

The motion appeared to reassure environmentalists, who fear that the city will back away from recycling if new landfills become available.

Jill L. Ratner, attorney for Citizens for a Better Environment, said that while she recognized that new dump sites might be needed in the 1990s, both the city and county “must have a significant commitment to recycling.”

She also said Towsley Canyon could have methane gas and oil deposits that might pose health and safety hazards.

Sunshine Canyon, north of Granada Hills and southeast of Towsley Canyon, is the city’s primary dump. It is expected to close by 1991.

Towsley was one of several sites recommended in a county plan for developing new dumps.

While the plan was approved by the city’s Board of Public Works, the council has steered clear of endorsing it.