San Juan Capistrano Landfill Quickly Resolves Noise Complaint

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — On Sunday night, a loud, repeated booming noise reverberated across San Juan Capistrano. When a resident thought it might be coming from the Prima Deshecha Landfill in San Juan Capistrano, they took to the Landfill's newly tested e-mail link.

"The first report of the loud noise came at 7 p.m.," Julie Chay, Public Information Officer for OC Waste & Recycling said. "The resident filled out an e-mail form on our website, saying that there was a loud boming noise and that it had been going on for awhile."

The Prima Deshecha Landfill's largely automated renewable energy power plant was discovered to be the source of the noise, according to Chay. Since there is no staff on Sunday, it was important for the public to use the website link to report it, she said.

"Everyone was notified simultaneously," Chay stated. "Despite the fact it was Sunday evening, so many landfill staff received the email and took appropriate action right away."

Though it is not uncommon to have backfiring of the engine at the power plant, it is uncommon to have the backfiring repeat which is what happened yesterday.

"Things like this don't happen very often," she said.

Thanks to the e-mail, the proper notifications were handled even though it was over a weekend.

"The landfill manager called the resident, the engineer got in touch with the power plant operator, and took care of the backfiring engine," Chay said. All in all, for the OC Waste & Recycling team, the notification system was a win.

The Prima Deshecha Landfill offers Orange County residents a drop-off for household hazardous materials, landfill access to residents, and recyclable materials drop off. For more information on what to take and how to take it, visit their website.

"We aim for this sort of response when there are problems, and it was great that we were able to fix it as quickly as possible," Chay said. This was the first time the public's email notification system was put into practice, and the staff and team were able to keep the lines of communication open until the entire operation was completed.

According to Chay, the noise complaint was resolved by 9:30 p.m.

"All things considered, it worked well," she said. According to the email that OC Waste & Recycling sent to neighbors, there were no hazards associated with the noise.

"We apologize for this inconvenience," they stated in email, reminding all in the future, for quick response to issues please use this email address: primanotice@ocwr.ocgov.com.

To report an issue, or learn what is going on at your area landfill, visit their website.

Photo courtesy Prima Deschena Landfill, OC Waste & Recycling