SANTA CLARITA — The operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill have been ordered by Southland air regulators to begin a series of steps on to mitigate odors emanating from the facility, which has generated complaints from residents for nearly two years.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District Hearing Board on Tuesday issued an order of abatement that mandates various measures for odor control and monitoring. Among the steps are a limit to the allowable excavation area at the site, along with application of odor suppressants and increased air sampling.
The order also calls for collection of landfill surface samples for analysis at least three times per month, expansion of a public notification system when air quality standards are violated, development of procedures to prevent “leachate tank” overflows or failure, including daily inspections of tanks, along with installation of real-time remote temperature-monitoring systems at wellheads.
Additional proposals aimed at mitigating trash odors and changing operating hours are expected to be discussed by the board Nov. 13-14.
The AQMD is considering ordering the landfill to pause operations from 7 to 10 a.m., when trash odors have been reported to be strongest.
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators were notified in June they were in violation of the federal Clean Air Act by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The landfill was notified of violations for excessive toxic air emissions in a letter dated June 4. The operators of the landfill, Chiquita Canyon LLC, and the company that owns it, Waste Connections, received the notice from the EPA.
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The landfill was also in violation of its operating permit by emitting high levels of toxic gasses such as benzene and volatile organic compounds that are known to create smog and contribute to the formation of the ozone, which can cause lung damage.
It was the first time the EPA issued a violation to the landfill operators and owner. The South Coast AQMD has received more than 15,000 complaints about the landfill from nearby residents since January 2023. The EPA is leading a multi-agency task force to monitor the landfill and track the pollution it is creating.
CalEPA, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board have also issued violation notices to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
In the notice sent by the EPA in June, it states the landfill “failed to maintain and operate air pollution control equipment in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice for minimizing emissions.”
The landfill has been the source of pollution and complaints for months.
In March, the Water Quality Control Board denied the landfill’s request to expand operations in its East Canyon Project. The landfill applied for the expansion on Jan. 4, 2022. The water control board sent a letter dated March 1 informing the operators of the rejection.
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