Los Angeles County asked a court Thursday to require the operators of a noxious landfill in Castaic to provide relocation assistance and mitigation measures for residents.
The county’s “motion for preliminary injunction” is part of an ongoing lawsuit against Chiquita Canyon Landfill. Officials said the suit aims to hold the landfill accountable for persistent and harmful odors impacting nearby communities.
According to the motion, the county seeks immediate court action to compel stronger mitigation measures in an effort to protect the health and quality of life of residents in Castaic, Val Verde and nearby neighborhoods.
District 5 Supervisor Kathryn Barger represents the impacted communities.
“Filing this injunction is another critical step in my unrelenting work to advocate for residents who have endured far too long the noxious odors and disruptions caused by Chiquita Canyon Landfill,” Barger said in a statement. “I will continue fighting to ensure accountability and relief. The County’s action today reflects that commitment.”
The county along with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CalEPA, CalRecycle, Southern California Air Quality Management District and the Regional Water Quality Control Board are attempting to resolve the environmental hazard.
The landfill stopped accepting waste Jan. 1, and operators have said they “will continue to manage the landfill, including addressing the elevated temperature landfill event that is affecting the northwest corner of the landfill, as well as closure and post-closure activities. While active waste disposal operations will close, we remain committed to working with federal, state and local regulators on the ongoing reaction mitigation efforts.”
In December the county sued Chiquita Canyon Landfill LLC and Texas-based parent company Waste Connections Inc. The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties against Waste Connections for allegedly causing a longrunning environmental damage and public nuisance for communities near the landfill.
Residents, environment advocates and Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Santa Clarita, gathered in the Castaic and Val Verde area Friday near the landfill to raise awareness about health hazards resulting from the daily noxious odors.
The group of about 50 toured locations near the facility and urged the county to declare a state of emergency. The tour began at Del Valle Regional Training Center, 28101 Chiquita Canyon Road in Castaic, then went to a hilltop that overlooks the landfill, toured homes and visited an air quality monitoring station.
“This action means one step closer to delivering immediate relief and relocation for families who have suffered far too long from toxic air and dangerous conditions,” Schiavo said in a statement.
“As someone who has spent time on the ground with residents in Val Verde and Castaic-hearing directly from families whose lives have been upended — I know how urgently action is needed. The county’s legal action underscores what residents have been saying for months: this is a public health emergency that demands swift and serious intervention to ensure their families are safe,” Schiavo said.
Val Verde resident Darcy Stinson, a member of the Castaic Area Town Council, is among the residents, state legislators and city officials who want an emergency declaration. County officials, however, have adamantly opposed it, Stinson told City News Service.
“When asked why they won’t, they said because it won’t do anything,” Stinson said. “He argued that it’s not just about money, but also about receiving aid on mortgages and taxes, among other things, similar to how the county responded to January’s wildfires.”
Helen Chavez Garcia, Barger’s spokeswoman, said in a statement, “To date, the county has not proclaimed a local emergency primarily because doing so would not open access to additional funding resources, nor would it increase the intensive federal, state and local jurisdictional oversight that is already well underway.
“At this point, all possible regulatory and legal steps to resolve the situation are being implemented as quickly as possible,” she added. “The odors are caused by higher temperatures deep below the site that have also caused the production of gases and leachate that must be carefully handled. An intensive methodological and technology-driven approach is a proper means of responding to and resolving this situation.”
The landfill has generated thousands of odor complaints in the last three years and has been the subject of several lawsuits. A chemical reaction underground in a closed area of the landfill’s northwest section has generated noxious gases and leachate, which is water that becomes contaminated after it percolates into the ground through solid waste.
Residents have reported daily foul odors and symptoms such as migraine headaches, nausea, bloody noses, respiratory issues and cardiac problems. The county’s lawsuit contends that local families have been forced to remain indoors, run air conditioning and heat at all times of the day and have been unable to enjoy outdoor activities or use outdoor yards, impacting mental health and well-being, especially for children.
The county is also assessing residents’ claims that the landfill has caused a cancer cluster in the area.
More information on efforts to address environmental issues at the landfill is at epa.gov/ca/chiquita-canyon-landfill.
