The University of California, Davis -- in the midst of revising and renewing the operating permit for its campus landfill -- has received a warning notice from Yolo County for missing certain deadlines. The notice charges the university with not securing an approved plan for guaranteeing deposits in a fund to cover future landfill closure costs and not providing certain requested environmental and engineering documents to the county in time to meet a schedule established for the permit renewal process. "We're surprised because we feel we've been making good progress this year, but we take the notice very seriously," said Bern Shanks, director of environmental health and safety at UC Davis. "We've overcome financial hurdles and a lot of activity will take place in the next six months." According to Shanks, the university heard just this week that the California Integrated Waste Management Board finally approved the university's plan for guaranteeing deposits in a fund to cover costs associated with eventual closure of the landfill. Deposits have been made in the fund since it was established in 1989. In addition, the campus contracted with a consultant in late June -- Harding Lawson Associates in Sacramento -- to help UC Davis prepare the extensive environmental and engineering documents necessary to renew the landfill permit. Campus officials say UC Davis has been trying to renew its permit for nine years, but changing regulations and shifts in personnel at local and state agencies have contributed substantially to delays in the process. University representatives plan to meet Thursday, July 23, with county Environmental Health Services officials to discuss upcoming actions and present a revised schedule. If the county determines that the university has not taken sufficient actions, it could petition for an injunction, fine the university, or revoke, suspend or modify its current landfill -more- 2-2-2 Landfill Permit permit. The 26-year-old landfill, located west of Road 98, accepts only sanitary waste and nonmedical animal waste from the campus. It currently covers 20 acres; however, the campus is proposing that the landfill be allowed to expand by 15 and a half acres to accommodate anticipated campus growth. The campus recently completed plans, in cooperation with the county, to reduce the amount of waste put in the campus landfill by at least 25 percent by 1995 and 50 percent by the year 2000. UC Davis plans to further reduce its waste by boosting recycling programs already in existence on campus and implementing education programs to encourage increased recycling by campus community members. In addition, UC Davis submitted a plan to the county earlier this year that outlines campus policies and procedures for preventing hazardous, radioactive or medical wastes from being taken to or buried in the campus landfill.