Redlands OKs $369K contract to test groundwater after landfill leachate mishandling

REDLANDS, Calif. — On Sept. 2, the Redlands City Council approved a $369,750 contract with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to investigate potential groundwater contamination after landfill leachate was improperly disposed of at the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Why it matters: Leachate — the liquid that forms when water filters through waste in a landfill — can carry toxic substances including heavy metals, pesticides, petroleum products and PFAS, which are manmade synthetic chemicals found in many consumer products. 

Details: In 2020, city staff discovered that leachate from the Redlands California Street landfill had been intermittently dumped into an unlined sludge drying bed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant instead of being sent through a dedicated pipeline. This practice, used by both city staff and contractors, had been in place for roughly six years prior to the discovery.

Once the problem was discovered, the city stopped the process, notified the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and restored a direct pipeline system to carry leachate safely to the plant. Officials estimate that about 56,000 gallons of leachate were disposed of in the unlined bed. 

The Regional Board required the city to submit a work plan to assess the potential impact on soil and groundwater. Rincon Consultants, which has previously handled related environmental work for the city, drafted the plan and made revisions based on regulator feedback before receiving formal approval in March 2025.

The approved scope of work includes soil sampling, installing a new 250-foot groundwater monitoring well, drawing samples from two existing wells, laboratory testing, and managing any waste generated by the investigation. A final report with findings and recommendations is expected after the field program wraps up.

City staff said Rincon’s familiarity with the site and regulatory requirements will help avoid delays.

Background: Rincon has worked with Redlands on other environmental assessments, including site assessments and groundwater studies at the former Alabama Septage Ponds, a site used for septic waste from the 1920s through the 1980s. That project required multiple rounds of testing and cleanup after contaminants were found, and the City Council approved several amendments to Rincon’s contract to meet state water board requirements.

Water in Redlands remains safe to drink: According to the 2025 Redlands Consumer Confidence Report, all Environmental Protection Agency and state drinking water health standards have been met this year, as in years past. Even with two wells recently taken offline after testing above new PFAS notification levels, city officials say residents are receiving water that meets all health standards, and treatment systems are being developed to address the contamination before those wells return to service.

No timeline was shared about the current investigation but a report summarizing the results is expected.