Los Angeles County ordered the operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill to install a cover to contain odors emanating into Castaic and other nearby communities, officials announced on Wednesday.
The county Department of Public Health, acting as the local enforcement agency on behalf of CalRecycle, was successful last week in requiring the landfill to install a thick geomembrane cover over the facility.
Members of the Los Angeles County Solid Waste Facilities Hearing Board voted 3-0 last week to deny the landfill’s appeal, and affirmed the county’s compliance order — finding the required mitigation measure to be reasonable and scientifically supported, according to officials.
The order, also referred to as directive 4.1, requires the installation of a cover over the entire landfill by Aug. 31, 2026, including a disputed 66-acre portion of the site. The local enforcement agency ensures compliance with solid waste laws, and has the power to require the landfill to operate in a manner that protects public health and the environment.
“The community near the landfill has been significantly impacted by the odors emanating from the landfill and the Local Enforcement Agency has been working diligently to require the landfill to mitigate the gases and odors causing the issue,” Karen Gork, LA County’s LEA manager, said in a statement.
“We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Solid Waste Hearing Board upheld the order as we continue to work with our partners to address the ongoing reaction at the landfill,” Gork added.
Since 2022, the landfill has been experiencing a subsurface elevated temperature event in an inactive or no longer used area of the facility. The event is producing increased landfill gases and leachate — water that drains through and picks up dissolved substances from the waste, according to county officials.
An existing interim soil cover has not been fully effective in controlling emissions, which has led to continued odor and the need for additional mitigation measures. Nearby residents have reported thousands of odor complaints, and filed physical and mental heath complaints.
In response, multiple local, state and federal agencies continue directing the owners and operators of Chiquita Canyon Landfill to monitor, control and mitigate the landfill gas emissions and odors, county officials said.