Dear :
I am writing to you to express my strong opposition to the
proposed development of a golf course on the Palos Verdes industrial hazardous waste
landfill. It is an old landfill with no protective bottom liner or formal clay cap
to prevent water from reaching the toxic materials. For years this site accepted
hundreds of thousands of tons of the most hazardous materials produced by companies
such as U.S. Steel, Montrose Chemical, and Dow Chemical to name just a few. The Palos
Verdes Landfill also deposited TCE in barrels, a practice now outlawed by the EPA
because of the extreme hazards associated with such practices. To make matters worse,
this site is in close proximity to two elementary schools, a pre-school, two churches,
and numerous private homes in Torrance and Rolling Hills Estates. It is entirely
unacceptable that a landfill that holds such great potential for danger, particularly
to young children, should be disturbed, thus risking exposure of the community to
its hazards. Please place a moratorium on all development on this Class 1 industrial
hazardous waste site. I am asking you to please use the power of your position to
help the citizens of this wonderful community protect themselves from the dangers
of toxic waste.
Sincerely,
Dear :
I am outraged about the proposed development of a golf course on
the Palos Verdes landfill site. There is no excuse for putting an entire community
at risk for this or any other project designed to produce revenue for a few private
individuals and the County of Los Angeles. The more I learn about this site, the
more terrified I become.
I know that there has been groundwater contamination
in the past, and there is also data suggesting that air contamination may also exist.
I do not believe the site is being adequately maintained and monitored by the L.A.
County Sanitation Districts. This is an old landfill, and therefore it does not have
many of the safeguards currently required for industrial hazardous waste sites by
federal and state regulations, most significantly a double liner to prevent contaminated
liquid from leaving the site, as well as a clay/synthetic membrane cap to prevent
water penetration of the toxic fill. A portion of the site sits on an area prone
to mudslides and is only 1200 feet from the Palos Verdes Fault line. Also, the cover
soil does contain heavy metals, and, if disturbed, this could create a dire health
hazard for the children who attend the two elementary schools and pre-school in close
proximity to the site. The community is already at risk, do not exacerbate the situation
with the development of a golf course. Please place a moratorium on all development
of this site.
Sincerely,
Dear :
As the parent of a child who attends (insert school name), I am
extremely concerned about the plans to build a golf course on the Palos Verdes landfill
site. My child's school is in close proximity to this highly toxic site, and I do
not feel that there is any reason to risk my or any child's health by disturbing
what is already a very fragile landfill site.
I am aware that documents
suggest that air monitoring at Rancho Vista School has not been adequate in the face
of some evidence of contamination. This does not give me confidence that the L.A.
County Sanitation Districts, who manage the site, are sufficiently committed to ensuring
that the contents of the site do not endanger the surrounding population. I am also
aware of documents suggesting that the soil cover of the landfill contains heavy
metals. Lead, a common heavy metal, is extremely toxic to the nervous systems of
children even in very minute amounts (therefore we have no-lead paint and gasoline),
and the idea that the heavy metals in the cover will be stirred up by the construction
process is terrifying to me. No parent should have to choose between their child's
education and their child's health. I strongly believe that the landfill should remain
undisturbed, and I ask you to impose a moratorium on all development on the Palos
Verdes Landfill site. Ensuring the safety of our children must be the number one
priority of this community and of our elected and appointed officials.
Sincerely,