Chiquita Canyon Landfill
| Project | |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 34°25′55″N 118°38′46″W / 34.432°N 118.646°W | |
| Country | United States |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Region | Santa Clarita Valley |
| Community | Castaic |
| Address | 29201 Henry Mayo Drive |
| Area | |
• Total | 639 acres (259 ha) |
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill is a 639-acre landfill (259 ha) in Castaic, California, United States. Located in the Santa Clarita Valley in northwestern Los Angeles County along State Route 126, it is owned and operated by Waste Connections. Since 1972, the solid waste landfill has disposed of residential and commercial waste by compacting layers of trash and covering those layers daily with soil. The landfill stopped accepting trash at the end of 2024 after restrictions were placed on the operations due to ongoing smoldering chemical reaction in a portion of the site.[1]
Impacts of a chemical reaction
[edit]A rare chemical reaction deep within the landfill probably began in May 2022. The landfill’s containment systems were overwhelmed with rainwater filtering through the rotting garbage. Oxygen may have intruded below the landfill cover causing the generation of extreme heat, production of excessive leachate, and the buildup of pressure within a 35-acre closed portion (14 ha) of the site. Hot, contaminated water has been forced to the surface which occasionally erupts like a geyser. This leachate has changed the landfill gas that now has a nauseating, sulphuric odor, impacting thousands of nearby residents.[2]
The company has community air quality monitoring stations in Val Verde and in Hasley Canyon Park in Castaic.[3] While the residents of Val Verde have been smelling odors for many years, neighborhoods as far away as Stevenson Ranch have complained to the South Coast Air Quality Management District about the overwhelming stench.[2] In 2024, the district received 13,000 odor complaints.[4] A Community Relief Program by the company was instituted to provide funds to assist residents who want to relocate temporarily.[5] The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board denied permission to expand into an additional cell in late 2024 expressing concerns about the odors and the landfill's stability during a potential seismic event.[6] After repeated enforcement actions and abatement orders had not brought actions resulting in sufficient reduction in the odors, the county of Los Angeles filled a lawsuit against the owners in December 2024.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Briscoe, Tony (December 31, 2024). "Troubled Chiquita Canyon Landfill will cease accepting trash in 2025". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Smith, Perry (March 16, 2024). "Landfill responds to concerns about benefit fund". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Briscoe, Tony (January 30, 2024). "A fire burning deep inside an L.A. County landfill is raising new alarms over toxic air". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Briscoe, Tony (August 30, 2024). "Regulators say Chiquita Canyon has made 'no meaningful improvement' to odors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Briscoe, Tony (March 21, 2024). "Some skeptical neighbors reject relief offer from Chiquita Canyon Landfill operator". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Perry (September 26, 2024). "Chiquita Canyon faces growing concerns". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ Briscoe, Tony (December 17, 2024). "Los Angeles County files suit 'to stop the awful stench' at Chiquita Canyon landfill". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Chiquita Canyon Community Relief Program
- Chiquita Canyon Landfill - Los Angeles County Planning
- Chiquita Canyon Landfill, Castaic, CA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Chiquita Canyon Landfill - California Department of Toxic Substances Control
- Chiquita Canyon Sanitary Landfill (19-AA-0052) CalRecycle