The site encompasses approximately 3.5 acres located in the unincorporated area of Ramona, within the Cleveland National Forest, immediately north of the Ramona Landfill, on Dump Road. The site is not accessible to the general public. The general location is indicated with a red circle above.  

From approximately 1947-1974, the County operated the Ramona Burn Dump on National Forest Service lands under a special use permit issued by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Services (Forest Service). When solid waste activities on the site ended, the burn ash was covered with soil to encapsulate the waste, the special use permit was ended, and responsibility for the site was returned to the Forest Service. In November 2007 the Witch Creek fire burned the vegetation covering the Ramona Burn Dump (Cleveland National Forest - Resource Management), and a subsequent inspection of the burned area documented that the soil cap had deteriorated and exposed burn ash and waste debris at the surface. On January 22, 2008, the Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) issued a notification to the Forest Service and the County about the condition of the site and required that it be brought into compliance with State standards for cover soil, erosion control, and site security, as outlined in State regulations.  The Forest Service completed a preliminary assessment site inspection in May 2010, which found that elevated concentrations of metals, such as arsenic, lead, and zinc, and chemicals, such as dioxins and furans, were consistently detected in the soil and burn ash on the site and that some leaching of lead has likely occurred. An Engineering Evaluation of the site was conducted in January 2014 to aid the Forest Service in reclamation of the site, and after continued negotiations between the two parties, a final agreement and court order outlining response efforts for the Ramona Burn Dump was filed on June 5, 2023.  

The Scope of Work for the project includes consolidating the waste into a smaller footprint, installing an improved soil cap with a geotechnical layer and drainage conveyance and improving site security in accordance with the Work Plan. Additionally, as part of the removal action activities, soil samples will be collected from the excavated regions for analytical testing. The goal is to collect samples in the “clean” native soils to confirm that all burn debris material and contaminated soils have been removed. While the Forest Service will remain as owners of the site, the County will bring the site back into compliance with State regulations and will be the responsible party for ongoing maintenance and monitoring. The Forest Service is responsible for overseeing the work performed by the County and has approval authority over all project deliverables.  Since July 2023, the County Department of Public Works has worked with the Forest Service to complete site assessments and evaluate environmental, geotechnical, and engineering data and develop a remediation plan to reduce potential public and environmental health risks and the risk of future site erosion. After completion of the project, ongoing maintenance of the site will be performed by the County Department of Public Works. 

Construction is expected to begin in late July/August 2025 and last about 6 to 8 months.  

For more information, please contact: 

Leanne Crow (Project Manager):  

(619) 335-9744 Leanne.Crow@sdcounty.ca.gov 

Erin Bechtol (Closed Landfills Unit Manager) 

(619) 816-9329 Erin.Bechtol@sdcounty.ca.gov 

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