Napa County DA announces environmental lawsuit settlement with landfill

By Kiley Russell | Bay City News

A Napa Valley landfill will pay millions of dollars to settle an environmental lawsuit over a 2019 spill and other alleged violations, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced Friday.

In March 2019, Clover Flat Land Fill spilled 40,000 gallons of leachate into nearby streams, which are tributaries of the Napa River, Haley said in a news release.

Leachate is a liquid created when water runs through the waste in a landfill.

Investigators looking into the spill also uncovered other alleged violations, including a road built through what had been a stream and the unauthorized removal of trees and other vegetation, according to prosecutors.

As part of the settlement, Clover Flat will pay an estimated $4 million to restore 4.24 acres of habitat in and around the landfill.

The company will also give $1.55 million to the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District for the Bale Slough-Bear Creek Tributary Restoration Project, $954,000 to the Napa County Resource Conservation District for the Huichica Creek Restoration Project and $150,000 to the Resource Conservation District for either Huichica Creek or the Suscol Creek Restoration Project.

Clover Flat will also pay $100,000 in civil penalties, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

“This settlement reflects the severity of the leachate spill, as well as Clover Flat’s willingness to engage in a comprehensive and long-term environmental restoration plan,” Haley said.

A representative for Clover Flat didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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