In accordance with R.A. 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, all local government units (LGUs) are obligated to identify and acquire/allocate/reserve land areas for municipal solid waste disposal facilities. Said environmental law also provides that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) together with its various Regional Offices all over the country are mandated to extend technical assistance to these LGUs in the evaluation and assessment of the technical viability and geological suitability of certain land properties identified or proposed by LGUs as potential sites for municipal solid waste disposal facilities. 

The local government of Mauban proposed two (2) sites located north and south of the municipality of Mauban. One site located in Barangay Bato, is about 5 kms road distance NW of the town proper, while the other site is in Barangay Tapucan which is 3.0 aerial kilometers SW of Mauban town proper.  The total land area of the proposed site in Barangay Bato is 2,9 hectares. The other site in Barangay Tapucan is 8.0 hectares and covered by 3 land titles.  Both are easily accessible.  There are no residents living nearby in the proposed sites.

In Barangay Bato, basalt flows belonging to the Cullasi Formation underlies the project area and immediate vicinities, while in Barangay Tapucan the proposed landfill is underlain by sequential beddings of sandstone and conglomerate.  No major active fault structure passes thru was found near the proposed sites.

The host rock in the proposed sanitary landfill site in Barangay Bato is non-porous and impermeable compared to the host rocks in Barangay Tapucan which are porous and permeable. Likewise, the soil cover in Barangay Bato is sticky and clayey, and therefore, impermeable. Consequently, contamination of the groundwater is not likely to occur in Barangay Bato. Meanwhile, mass movements are most likely to occur in the proposed sanitary landfill in Barangay Bato than in Barangay Tapucan due to the steep slope gradient in the area. Although no major geologic structures were observed in both the proposed areas, it is still possible that both areas will experience ground acceleration due to earthquakes of volcanic or tectonic origin that may be generated by movements along major active fault zones in Luzon.

In conclusion, the proposed sanitary landfill site in Barangay Bato was found by MGB IV-A CALABARZON Geologists to be suitable as a waste disposal area.