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Chiquita Canyon Landfill odors spark another LA County lawsuit

A second lawsuit was filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court against the owners and operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, alleging that Castaic residents have been sickened by noxious fumes and odors emanating from the site.

The suit brought by Los Angeles County contends landfill owners Chiquita Canyon LLC, Chiquita Canyon Inc., and Waste Connections US Inc. have failed to control a persistent and harmful underground smoldering reaction within the landfill, which has been emitting noxious odors, hazardous gases, and toxic leachate into nearby communities and the environment for nearly two years.

The county’s complaint includes claims for public nuisance, violations of the California Unfair Competition Law, and violations of the Los Angeles County Code. The county is seeking an injunction to halt the noxious emissions and protect affected communities, orders to relocate nearby residents temporarily until the reaction is contained, and civil penalties for the defendants’ alleged ongoing violations of environmental and public health laws, according to the suit.

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A Waste Connections representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from City News Service.

A group of Castaic residents filed a lawsuit against Waste Connections in federal court in October, alleging the company failed to properly manage the landfill’s gas capture, control systems and leachate systems. Leachate is a polluted liquid that forms from rainwater filtering through solid waste.

The alleged failure caused the emission of elevated and harmful levels of carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and volatile organic gases, creating unsafe living conditions for thousands of residents, the residents’ lawsuit says.

This year alone, there have been 13,000 odor complaints about the landfill, according to plaintiffs’ attorneys in the October suit. Residents have reported headaches, nausea, respiratory issues and the inability to enjoy use of their properties due to the offensive smells, the suit states.

According to LA County, the landfill operator has been working to remain in compliance with an administrative order, issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to implement dozens of corrective measures recommended by federal, state and local agencies to slow and eventually abate the smoldering.

This includes the installation of more than 200 gas extraction wells, installation of multiple flares, leachate extraction systems, along with the installation of a geomembrane cover that will encompass the reaction area where the odors are apparently emanating from, the county said.

While the operator is nearing completion of the majority of these measures, local residents have indicated the odors and impacts have not been significantly abated, the new complaint states.

“This lawsuit is a necessary step to ensure accountability and compliance with the rules that protect our residents and the environment,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement.

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“We must hold the responsible party accountable and continue doing everything possible to restore safe and healthy living conditions for our communities,” she continued. “While federal, state and county agencies are working around the clock with the landfill operator to mitigate this incident, it’s clear that the geomembrane cover and mitigation measures have not brought a permanent stop to the awful stench that afflicts the surrounding communities. This lawsuit is a powerful tool that demands the landfill owners bring immediate relief to impacted residents. They must step up efforts to take care of those that have been harmed by their facility.”

The underground reaction, located in the landfill’s northwest corner, has severely impacted surrounding neighborhoods, including Val Verde, Halsey Hills, Hasley Canyon and other areas of Castaic, the county contends.

Residents have reported daily exposure to foul odors, experiencing symptoms such as migraine headaches, nausea, bloody noses, respiratory issues and even cardiac complications. The county alleges that local families have been forced to stay indoors, run their air conditioning and heat at all times of the day, and have been unable to enjoy outdoor activities or even use their yards — further impacting mental health and wellbeing, especially of children.

“Despite repeated enforcement actions and abatement orders, the landfill operators have not adequately addressed the situation,” said Dusan Pavlovic, LA County’s senior deputy county counsel. “This lawsuit seeks to ensure immediate action to stop the harm. The resources that have been deployed in the community fall woefully short.”

The county’s suit follows efforts by local, state and federal agencies — including the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — to address the issue through abatement orders, notices of violation and mandated mitigation measures.

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Despite these efforts, the county contends, the landfill’s operators have failed to contain the underground reaction, which they admit could persist for years.

Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, said previously that residents of Val Verde, Castaic and students of nearby schools have been subjected to prolonged exposure to harmful emissions, leading to a range of health issues including headaches, nausea, asthma, heart palpitations and a newly identified cancer cluster.

On one street of 14 houses in the area, she said, seven neighbors have been fighting cancer — and one has passed away.

Landfill officials have said odors from the facility are due to “an abnormal biotic or abiotic process, also known as a landfill reaction, taking place deep within a lined but older and inactive portion of the landfill waste mess.”

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