Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators given violation notice by EPA
LOS ANGELES - The Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators were notified they were in violation of the federal Clean Air Act by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a community advisory committee meeting regarding the landfill is scheduled for Tuesday in Castaic.
The landfill was notified of violations for excessive toxic air emissions in a letter dated June 4. The operators of the landfill, Chiquita Canyon LLC, and the company that owns it, Waste Connections, received the notice from the EPA.
The landfill is also in violation of its operating permit by emitting high levels of toxic gases such as benzene and volatile organic compounds that are known to create smog and contribute to the formation of the ozone, which can cause lung damage.
It is the first time the EPA has issued a violation to the landfill operators and owner. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has received more than 15,000 complaints about the landfill from nearby residents since January 2023. The EPA is leading a multi-agency task force to monitor the landfill and track the pollution it is creating.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
CalEPA, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board have also issued violation notices to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.x
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Chiquita Canyon: State alleges landfill of dumping toxic waste
- Chiquita Canyon: Landfill operators asked to provide relocation assistance
- EPA joins Chiquita Canyon Landfill investigation
In the notice sent by the EPA earlier this month, it states the landfill "failed to maintain and operate air pollution control equipment in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice for minimizing emissions."
The landfill has been the source of pollution and complaints for months.
In March, the Water Quality Control Board denied the landfill's request to expand operations in its East Canyon Project. The landfill applied for the expansion on Jan. 4, 2022. The water control board sent a letter dated March 1 informing the operators of the rejection.
Chiquita Canyon Landfill requested to expand the facility at cells 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the East Canyon area and northeast of the cells in current use.
Chiquita Canyon landfill accused of dumping toxic waste
The EPA is calling the Chiquita Canyon landfill an imminent danger to the community's health, while the Ca Dept of Toxic Substances alleges that liquid toxic waste was trucked from the Castaic landfill, to a Gardena facility that doesn't accept toxic material. (February 22, 2024)
The landfill operators have been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Toxic Substance Control recently for violations.
The Department of Toxic Substance Control cited the operators on Feb. 21 for transporting toxic waste pumped from soil from the landfill to a facility in Gardena not permitted to accept it.
The EPA issued a statement in February saying the landfill presents an "imminent and substantial endangerment" to air and water pollution.
The landfill's community advisory committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Castaic Library, 27971 Sloan Canyon Road in Castaic.