[quote=AK] … I’ve lived in large cities and dense suburban infill both here and abroad, and all I can say is … I like my stucco tract home in a far-flung suburb … I can grow my own organic vegetables without fighting over cramped plots in community gardens built on old toxic waste dumps …[/quote]
AK, the vast majority of community gardens in SD are NOT built on “toxic waste dumps.” Many have served their neighborhoods for more than 40 years.
However, SD County new home developments in “far flung suburbia” HAVE been built on or adjacent to not only former landfills but toxic waste sites, as well.
… Since the seven landfills —- in Bonsall, Valley Center, Poway, San Marcos, Oceanside and Carlsbad —- closed more than a decade ago, an airport, parks, schools and homes have been built on or near the sites…
A toxic mix
The landfills, built between the late 1940s and 1970s, preceded environmental rules that govern waste disposal today, and served as catch-all basins for a mix of routine trash and toxic chemicals.
“The hazardous-waste checks didn’t start until the 1990s,” said Michele Stress, a unit manager for the county Department of Public Works, which monitors and maintains the seven sites…
