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County asks staff to study biosolids acceptance at Rock Creek landfill amid PFAS and operational concerns
Summary
Integrated Waste Management briefed the Board on a request from Calaveras County Water District to accept Class B biosolids at Rock Creek; the board directed staff to investigate technical, regulatory and environmental implications, including PFAS, groundwater/leachate risk, gas impacts, and equipment wear.
Integrated Waste Management Director Jennifer Cashe asked the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors for direction to investigate whether Rock Creek Landfill should again accept biosolids for disposal, citing a request from the Calaveras County Water District (CCWD) and potential cost and operational impacts.
Cashe defined biosolids as treated wastewater solids and summarized disposal options — land application, incineration, and landfilling — while distinguishing treated 'biosolids' from untreated 'sewage sludge.' She said CCWD reported generating about 11 tons per week of Class B biosolids currently trucked to Suisun City (a 170‑mile round trip) at an annual cost of about $70,000, and that Rock Creek previously accepted treated solids under limited policies.
The board heard technical cautions including the potential for PFAS (so‑called "forever chemicals") in biosolids, groundwater leachate and gas‑generation impacts, additional equipment wear, CEQA implications and the need for monitoring protocols and acceptance criteria (moisture and solids content). Cashe asked whether the board wanted staff to perform a thorough evaluation of those issues; members asked for testing and operational details and signaled support for further study.
A representative from Delmaris (Delamar?) County Water District, David Wyckoff, explained that the local treatment plants use belt presses to dry solids into a cake and then roll‑off bins for transport, and said constituent testing is done before disposal and that CCWD was initiating PFAS analysis of the waste stream. Wyckoff said local districts and the landfill already maintain monitoring wells and joint oversight could address groundwater concerns.
The board directed staff to study technical, regulatory and environmental questions, and to return with recommendations and safeguards if acceptance were to be pursued. No policy change or acceptance was authorized at the meeting; the item was informational and the board sought a staff report that addresses drying standards, PFAS testing, gas‑management capacity and CEQA/permit implications.
