The Farm and Ranch (FR) Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program provides up to $1 million annually in grants for the cleanup of illegal solid waste sites on farm or ranch property. This page includes examples of successful FR cleanup projects.
2011/12
Butte County
Awarded $44,959 to remove 3,600 tires, abandoned vehicles, appliances, and solid waste from four privately owned sites in rural Butte County. The tires had been dumped many years ago by a tire hauler to avoid paying fees to a recycler. As the cleanup progressed, it became evident that the number of tires present on the property was vastly underestimated. This is because many, previously uncounted tires were found buried in ponds on the property. The county experienced a similar problem with solid waste dumped on the sites; a large amount of solid waste was found to be buried on the parcels. The county ran out of grant funds before it could complete the remediation. Because the county had not requested the maximum allowed per site, it plans to apply for a new Farm and Ranch grant in the next cycle to complete the cleanup. The total number of tires found on the parcels was 13,400. YouTube (00:04:44) | Transcript (2012)
Kern County
The county was awarded $6,981 to clean up more than 400 illegally dumped tires from a rural part of Kern County. The affected parcel is 385 acres, privately owned, and zoned for agricultural use, although the land is currently fallow. The landowner was unaware of the tires until he was contacted by the county. Kern County spent $6,840 to remove 450 tires from the designated area. The tires were transported to a company that converts tires to feedstock for recycled rubber products.
2010/11
Placer County
Requested $17,120 in cleanup funds. The six-acre, privately owned site was zoned for residential agriculture which allows, among other uses, the raising and keeping of animals and land to be used for crop production. The 500 tires on the property were illegally placed in and around a pond. The waste was discovered by the new property owners during the summer when the pond’s water level receded. The site cost $13,655 to remediate. In addition to 302 tires pulled from the pond, 11 refrigerators were recovered.
Nevada County
This Reimbursement Grant was awarded for an illegal disposal site on privately owned property that is zoned Residential-Agriculture, but is currently inactive. The property owner, with his own funds, successfully removed 35 tons of asphalt roofing waste that was illegally disposed on his property. In addition to the cleanup, the owner chained off access points to the property to prevent further illegal dumping. With the appropriate documentation of the expenses incurred, including pre-cleanup photographs and landfill receipts, CalRecycle awarded a Farm and Ranch grant on behalf of the property owner to Nevada County, which then reimbursed the landowner for the $4,270 incurred for the cleanup work.
2009/10
Calaveras County
Consisted of a large, mountainous, privately owned parcel used for timber harvesting and cattle grazing. Requested $50,000 in grant funds to clean up 700 cubic yards of solid waste, appliances, cars, tires, furniture, and metal cans that were illegally dumped during the 1950s. The county spent $27,483 to remove 102 tires, 56 appliances, 125 cubic yards of metal, 15 cubic yards of glass, and more than two cubic yards of solid waste. The Farm and Ranch Grant allowed the county to clean up the site and restore the area for replanting trees.
Colusa County Resource Conservation District
This project consisted of two privately owned properties zoned Exclusive Agriculture. The two landowners were victims of illegal dumping. Both sites were active, productive orchards spanning 295 acres. $21,172 in grant funds was requested to clean up household waste, tires, automotive and metal debris, electronic waste, and construction and demolition debris. The waste was threatening the water quality of the Sacramento River, located just 500 feet from the property. While more than $21,000 was awarded, the RCD spent only $6,913. Cleanup work for the second site was not completed because just prior to cleanup it became known that the landowner was allowing another person to dispose of tree clippings onto the site, making the site ineligible for grant funding.
Los Angeles County
Requested grant funds in the amount of $15,097. A remote, privately owned parcel in the city of Arcadia was being utilized as an illegal paint ball arena. The waste was composed of tires, household furniture, doors, and other refuse and debris. Los Angeles County spent $6,340.67 to successfully remove 25 tons of debris and 60 tires from the area. The cost of fencing and gates were considered impractical for this site; with many access points, it would require more than 1,400 feet of fencing to restrict access.
Trinity County Resource Conservation District
This project consisted of nine heavily forested sites owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The grantee requested $67,166 to clean up household waste, furniture, refrigerators, freezers, trailers, and tires that had been illegally dumped into the forest. $34,271 was spent by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District to clean up the sites. 27,000 pounds of waste–including metal, lumber, furniture, vehicle parts, a trailer, and miscellaneous household waste–was removed, and 10,350 pounds was recycled.
2008/09
Monterey County Resource Conservation District
Requested $92,381 in grant funds to clean up four illegal dump sites littered with household trash, automobiles, furniture, appliances, and tires. The waste had been deposited by unknown individuals. The parcels are located in southern Santa Cruz and northern Monterey County and are utilized for the growing of vegetable crops. In addition to site cleanup, the funds covered the installation of fencing and gates on three of the sites. Monterey County Resource Conservation District spent $72,342 and removed 21 tons of waste and 294 tires. In addition, 4,700 feet of wire fencing was installed and 85 tons of riprap was placed for erosion control.
San Joaquin County Environmental Health Department
Grant proposal was for $130,531 and consisted of six parcels along a two-mile levee road next to the San Joaquin River. Five of the properties were zoned agricultural land for crop production and a sixth property was a wetlands habitat. The six parcels total 591.6 acres, but the cleanup was concentrated along the levee. Proposed that grant monies would help clean up household waste, transient activity waste, and more than 1,000 cubic yards of construction debris. San Joaquin County spent $47,905 to remove a total of 582 tons of construction and demolition debris and six tires. Unspent funds occurred because the actual costs of the cleanup totaled lower than initial estimates and there was a delay in the cleanup project which resulted in some property owners clearing the waste themselves.
Sloughhouse Resource Conservation District
The site consisted of a cattle ranch on Deer Creek, zoned for agricultural use. Requested $44,286 in grant funds to clean up an estimated 8,500 tires that were washed downstream from an illegal dumpsite. The waste tires collect water, which provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can transmit West Nile Virus. In addition, the tires were a hazard to grazing cattle, and posed a threat to the waterways. Sloughhouse RCD spent $7,152 to clean up the tires. The RCD’s original estimate of more than 8,000 tires assumed that there were a lot of tires buried. However, only 2,000 tires were found on the site so the cost of remediation was significantly less. The Sloughhouse RCD also anticipated ground disturbance that would require reseeding; however, no mitigation was required.
Sutter County Resource Conservation District
The Sutter County RCD requested $36,449 in grant funds to clean up three privately owned orchards. Proposed that grant monies would aid in the removal of the refuse scattered around the landowners’ properties and enable the landowners to build security gates and fences to prevent future dumping. All three owners were victims of illegal dumping and did not have adequate funds to pay for cleanup or to erect fencing. $34,011 was spent to remove sheet metal, concrete, furniture, chairs, stereos, televisions, beds, and more than 30 tires. Fencing and gates were installed to help prevent future dumping.
Resources
For more information contact: LEA Grant and Loan Programs, Grants@calrecycle.ca.gov