Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill

Construction and operation Fresno, like other growing cities, sought a suitable long-term solution to the disposal of municipal solid waste in the 1930s. Jean Vincenz, a civil engineer by training, became Fresno commissioner of public works, city engineer, and manager of utilities in 1931. Vincenz recommended that the city not renew its waste disposal contract with the Fresno Disposal Company, which operated an incinerator at the time. Rather, the city conducted an experiment in the operation of a "sanitary" landfill near its water treatment plant, in which a trench was dug, filled with waste, and then covered with fill dug from an adjacent trench, which would be the next area filled. Vincenz emphasized the importance of compacting the fill, saying that without compaction, the waste would attract rats. The demonstration site opened in 1934, and was judged a success. The present site was acquired by the city in 1937, opened the same year and began accepting waste. In 1945, the landfill expanded south of Annadale Avenue. Closure and cleanup The EPA's Superfund program began in 1980 and received a notification from the Fresno Solid Waste Management Division regarding the landfill. In May 1981, the Superfund program evaluated the landfill and the city began the process of closing it. The landfill received its last waste on July 1, 1987. Landmark status and controversy It was declared a National Historic Landmark on August 27, 2001. ==Description==

The former Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill is located about from downtown Fresno, on of land at the southwest corner of South West Avenue and West Jensen Avenue. The landfill is a basically rectangular mound, about long and wide. It rises to a height about above the surrounding grade, its sides at a varying but typically steep pitch. It is covered with grass. The landfill has no lining. ==Impact==

According to historian Martin Melosi, the site was "the first landfill to employ the trench method of disposal and the first to utilize compaction." The design became a model for other landfills around the country, and was the accepted best form of municipal disposal in the 1950s and 1960s. The 1970s brought criticism of the method and new disposal options were considered. For his contribution to this advancement, Jean Vincenz was named assistant chief in the Army Corps of Engineers, operating out of headquarters in Washington, DC. Vincenz was later honored, being named president of the American Public Works Association for his accomplishments. ==See also==