Los Angeles County is joining hundreds of angry residents upset about breathing toxic fumes from a landfill in Castaic for more than two years, saying enough is enough.
The county filed a lawsuit on Dec. 16 in federal court asking that the landfill owners turn over operation of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill to a court receiver appointed to take “possession and control” of the troubled, 639-acre solid waste landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley if operators cannot fix the problems cited in numerous violation orders.
The Dec. 16 lawsuit asks the landfill owner/operators to pay for relocating residents who live near the landfill and are experiencing health effects from the noxious odors. The lawsuit also asks the landfill owner/operators to pay for residential and business air purifiers and air filtration systems, double-paned windows, and assistance with utility bills until the odors are eliminated from the air.
In the lawsuit, the county is asking landfill operators Chiquita Canyon, LLC; Chiquita Canyon, Inc.; and Waste Connections US, Inc.; which own and operate the landfill, to stop an underground, smoldering reaction that is causing the release of noxious odors as well as chemicals mixed with rainwater, known as leachate, from leaving the landfill and making its way into the Santa Clara River and threatening the drinking water supply.
Regulators have observed leachate bubbling out of the landfill, “shooting from the landfill like a geyser, sometimes as high as 12 to 18 feet in the air,” the lawsuit said.
Thousands of residents living in a wide swath near the landfill — which is located at 29201 Henry Mayo Drive about three miles west of the 5 Freeway on State Route 126 — have experienced health effects since May 2022 that include headaches; eye, nose, and/or throat irritation; feelings of light-headedness and/or dizziness; coughing, wheezing, and/or difficulty breathing; nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and/or diarrhea; chest tightness and palpitations; and skin irritations and/or rashes, according to the lawsuit.
Odors can last for more than 12 hours, the lawsuit said. The closest area affected is the town of Val Verde, which is about 500 feet from the landfill. The mix of odors have persisted at varying degrees also in Hasley Canyon, Hasley Hills, North Bluffs, Hillcrest, Live Oak, Williams Ranch, Santa Clarita, Stevenson Ranch and Valencia, according to the lawsuit.
The source is a heated chemical reaction that takes up about 30 acres in the landfill’s northwest corner, nearest Val Verde. This is causing the release of hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide and benzene into the air. The smells got so bad that residents stay indoors. Children are unable to play outside and some do not go outside during recess at a local elementary school.
“While we are glad that the county is acknowledging this festering issue, it is simply not enough,” said Simi Situ, representing Citizens for Chiquita Canyon Closure at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024 in a statement. The group has asked the Board of Supervisors to declare the situation an emergency. They also want the landfill to be shut down.
A lawsuit was filed on Aug. 25, 2023, by residents asking for relief and for the county to shut the landfill. Lawyers who filed that suit, and were at the Board of Supervisors meeting with the residents, said they welcome the county’s lawsuit and believe it could lead to an emergency declaration.
“We are glad they (county) are finally going in the right direction because the writing is on the wall,” said Rahul Sethi, one of the attorneys that filed the 2023 lawsuit, which has now been transferred to federal court where the county lawsuit was filed, he said.
The county lawsuit contends the operators and owners have violated numerous provisions of the county’s permission to operate, causing a public nuisance. Unless the operators bring the landfill into compliance, the county is asking for a court to appoint an independent operator.
“This lawsuit is a necessary step to ensure accountability and compliance with the rules that protect our residents and the environment,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley.
Steve Cassulo, district manager of Chiquita Canyon Landfill, did not respond to an email or a voice mail asking for a response.
Large covers in place over the Chiquita Canyon Landfill on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. The Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators have been notified they are in violation of the federal Clean Air Act by the EPA. The EPA report shows that the landfill is emitting toxic gasses such as benzene and volatile organic compounds which contribute to the formation of ozone which can cause lung damage. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
On Feb. 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an administrative order that required the installation of a geomembrane landfill cover. That project is an attempt to stop the release of odors into the air.
Another remediation, called the Western Slope Excavation, could produce “a meaningful impact on the odors that have been plaguing the surrounding community,” said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in a statement on Oct. 25.
However, Barger said in a statement on Dec. 16 that the membrane and other actions have not prevented the odors from being released, continuing what she called “the awful stench that afflicts the surrounding communities.”
Also, results of a new survey found that as recently as Dec. 10, many people in the affected communities reported “very strong” or “strong odors” daily.
“Despite repeated enforcement actions and abatement orders, the landfill operators have not adequately addressed the situation,” said Dušan Pavlović, senior deputy county counsel for the county. “This lawsuit seeks to ensure immediate action to stop the harm. The resources that have been deployed in the community fall woefully short.”
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