Solid Waste- Hoopa Valley Tribe

With the promulgation of the Indian Lands Open Dump Clean-up Act, Congress directed the EPA, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the U.S. Indian Health Service to close all non-conforming landfill sites within Indian Country by October, 1999. On the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, the Supply Creek Dump was in operation since 1972 when it was constructed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Supply Creek Dump 1986

This landfill involved a 2.5 acre site that was used as a solid waste facility that accepted unregulated waste in a series of four trenches. As a trench was filled, the garbage was burned and the trench was filled with native soil and a new trench was excavated. The Hoopa Valley Tribe's Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District developed a Solid Waste Management Plan which included the closure of the Supply Creek Facility and the development of alternative methods to deal with the Reservations solid waste stream. Closure of the Supply Creek Dump took place meeting the 1999 deadline. As a part of closure the following tasks were accomplished:

Site Data Collection

• Site waste volume and characteristics
• Waste distribution, condition & age
• Environmental influences such as depth to groundwater
• Development of Closure Plan & Specifications Test wells were drilled to access the leachate impacts to groundwater.

Four test wells drilled did not encounter groundwater at 60 feet at bedrock depth. Test monitoring wells were therefore not required since groundwater was not present below the site. A drainage system was constructed to divert surface water away form the site. The following photograph shows the Supply Creek Landfill before and after closure:

Currently, a containerized transfer station is operated by Hoopa Valley Public Utilities District to handle the solid waste needs of the Hoopa Community. The Transfer Station is located off of Highway 96 approximately 2 miles north of Downtown Hoopa. Waste reduction programs and solid waste educational materials have been provided to the Tribal community in order to educate the public on the importance of proper disposal and the harmful effects of improper handling of solid waste. Much of the community education is handled by Hoopa Valley Tribal EPA along with HVPUD in an effort to reduce the waste stream in Hoopa. Through Radio Talk Shows on KIDE and Public Service Announcements in the Hoopa People Newspaper, coupled with public presentations at our local schools, TEPA and HVPUD are making a concerted effort to keep the Hoopa Valley healthy and beautiful.

Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle

Visit EPA's Solid Waste in Indian Country Website

More EPA Solid Waste in Indian Country Links

Click Here For The Office Paper Bin Application

Click Here for the Solid Waste Management Plan

Title 49- Solid Waste Ordinance