The purpose of the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery’s (CalRecycle) Closed, Illegal, and Abandoned (CIA) Disposal Sites Program is to assist local enforcement agencies (LEA) in investigating and enforcing State minimum standards at CIA sites in California. A CalRecycle publication entitled “Former Landfill and Disposal Site Investigations” is available that contains case studies of investigations conducted by CalRecycle for LEAs. A publication is available entitled “Landfill Gas Investigations at Former Landfills and Disposal Sites”, which provides case studies on landfill gas investigations conducted with LEAs.
There are approximately 2,500 CIA sites identified in CalRecycle’s Solid Waste Information System (SWIS) database. A list has been developed to identify priority CIA sites referred or projected for solid waste cleanup in the near future.
The CIA Disposal Site Program prepares investigation work plans and reports, and conducts both phase I office investigations and phase II field investigations. CIA Disposal Site Program staff can also assist in enforcement casework and phase III remedial work scoping for a site that may be remedied under CalRecycle’s Solid Waste Cleanup Program. CIA staff can also provide assistance with the new Site Investigation Process Guidance, which replaces LEA Advisory No. 3. Authority for the CIA Disposal Site Program can be found in Public Resources Code and California Code of Regulation, Titles 14 and 27.
CIA Disposal Site Program staff are also responsible for providing quality assurance and quality control for CIA site information in the SWIS database. This includes entering investigation, inspection, and enforcement data and approving site archiving and reductions in inspection frequency. Finally, the CIA Disposal Site Program provides technical training for investigations, remedial work scoping, and enforcement casework.