Pacific Southwest, Region 9
Serving: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands, 148 Tribes
Torres Martinez Solid Waste Collaborative
Major Accomplishments
Torres Martinez Solid Waste Collaborative Status Reports
February 2008 (PDF) (2 pp, 295K)
March 2007 (PDF) (2 pp, 550K)
October 2006 (PDF) (4 pp, 533K)
August 2006 (PDF) (4 pp, 313K)
Since its inception in April 2006, the collaborative has closed all major dumps and successfully prevented the creation of new dumps on the reservation; virtually eliminated dump fires; cleaned over 20 of the 27 original dumps; put access controls in place to prevent future dumping; and initiated Targeted Brownfields Assessments to facilitate productive reuse of former dump sites.
Dump Cleanup and Access Control
Fillmore Street Dumpsite
In February 2007 EPA completed a hazardous waste cleanup of the 25-acre Fillmore Street Dumpsite. EPA removed approximately 100 cubic yards of unburned CCA-treated wood stakes, 1,600 pounds of waste oil and sludge, 1,400 tons of burnt ash materials and 400 pounds of asbestos-cement piping from the site for disposal. EPA also installed access controls and signage.
In May 2007, CIWMB removed the remaining solid waste from the site, including 1,700 tons of trash/debris, 65 tons of waste tires, 35 tons of metal debris, 22 units of lead-acid batteries, and 4 gallons of motor oil. The Torres Martinez Tribe, EPA and BIA will assess the site in late 2007 to determine possible redevelopment uses such as sod or food crops.
Additional photos in the gallery »
Mt. San Diego Dumpsite
CIWMB completed its cleanup of the Mt. San Diego Dump site in April 2007. The site was used for several years by a non-tribal member to run an illegal landfill. The Torres Martinez Tribe applied for and received a Targeted Brownfields Assessment grant to analyze potential future uses for the remaining inert material. EPA’s Brownfields Program is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to test options including growing different types of sod or food crops, or providing fill for future home sites.
Additional photos in the gallery »
Torlaw Dumpsite
The Torlaw Dumpsite was closed in August 2006. To reduce the fire risk at the site, the Riverside County Fire Department and CIWMB , contracting with a private vendor, chipped and mulched approximately 17,000 cubic yards of green waste. Half of the mulch was mixed with site soil to reduce future fire risk and for dust suppression. The remaining mulch was used for dust suppression at the Fillmore Street dumpsite cleanup.
Grape Stake Cleanup
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) worked with tribal officials and the Riverside County Waste Management Division to remove 100 tons of CCA- treated grape stakes that had been dumped 200 yards from the kindergarten through 12th grade Mega School in Thermal.
Community Outreach
The Outreach Taskforce distributed over 500 posters and flyers promoting proper recycling and waste disposal habits to cities, stores, growers, haulers, and landscapers in the Coachella Valley. Members of the taskforce also participated in a Trashbusters community-wide cleanup event on October 6, 2007. In addition, the taskforce worked with the Hi-Lo Golf Course Association to include information in its October newsletter on appropriate golf course green waste disposal.
Additional photos in the gallery »
Monitoring Compliance
This past summer, EPA completed enforcement agreements with two trailer park operators for solid waste violations. The operator of the Oasis Mobile Home Park resolved federal waste violations with an agreement to pay an $11,000 civil penalty. The operators of the Desert Mobile Home Park also resolved federal waste violations with an agreement to pay a $1,525 penalty and conduct a community-wide cleanup event. Both agreements require that the operators properly dispose of all waste; institute a weekly waste pick-up and solid waste management program; and distribute a fact sheet to all households in the trailer park informing them how and where to properly dispose of special types of waste.
Infrastructure Development
The Infrastructure Development Taskforce made great strides in 2007. The Torres Martinez Tribe launched the Torres Martinez Collaborative Web site 
to keep the community up-to-date on the collaborative’s activities. The Web site serves two purposes: 1) to act as a central clearinghouse for tracking open and closed dump sites on the reservation; and 2) to exhibit the outreach materials created by collaborative members.
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