LA County Takes Legal Action Against Landfill Due to Odor Causing Health Issues for Residents
The lawsuit claims that the proprietors and operators of the landfill neglected to control a foul chemical concoction festering beneath the surface, adversely affecting the health of local residents.
On December 16, Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against the owners and operators of Chiquita Canyon Landfill, contending that the facility has not managed to contain a horrific odor that residents assert is causing them health issues.
Since at least 2022, this toxic mixture has been elevating in temperature, increasing pressure, and expanding in volume.
The complaint puts forth allegations of public nuisance and breaches of the Los Angeles County Code, seeking an injunction to halt the offensive emissions, the relocation of local residents until the situation is remedied, and civil penalties for the defendants’ purported ongoing infractions of environmental and public health statutes.
Chiquita Canyon has not replied immediately to requests for comment.
The landfill is situated approximately 50 miles north of downtown Los Angeles in Val Verde, a rural community with a population of 2,399. Residents report that the toxic odors emanating from the landfill compel them to remain indoors and shut their windows and doors for fear of becoming unwell.
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The landfill management claims that chemical stabilization has been achieved through mitigation efforts and recent tests indicate no expected toxicological or health ramifications. Specialists engaged by the company contend that the acute and chronic symptoms reported by residents are physiological responses to the odors, not actual health effects.
Many residents are advocating for the landfill’s closure, which may occur if county officials choose not to renew the company’s operating permit. Waste Connections Inc., based in Texas, has previously sued the county and is threatening similar action if required to cease operations.
The operators assert that the underground chemical reaction, referred to as an “oxidation event,” could take up to 10 years to dissipate.
In December 2023, the EPA reported that leachate production had reached over 1 million gallons per week, containing harmful amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and benzene, which have all been released into the air.
In February, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control cited the landfill for various violations, including improper disposal, storage, and treatment of hazardous waste, as well as failing to mitigate potential impacts effectively. The L.A. County Department of Public Health declared the landfill a public nuisance due to elevated levels of benzene and carbon tetrachloride emanating from the facility.
Waste Connections held community meetings on October 10 and November 7, wherein landfill representatives discussed the deployment of over 40 acres of a geosynthetic cover to obscure the odors and over 250 new or upgraded wells to extract gas and liquid from the reactive area.
Neal Bolton, a civil engineer and landfill expert contracted by Chiquita Canyon, testified during a November 13 Air Quality Management District hearing that the elimination of odors in remedial zones and a reduction in leachate seeps and leakages have minimized geysers to “relatively small” leaks of a few gallons in problematic areas.
Moreover, he mentioned that the installation of a geothermal membrane—a white, heat-protective plastic cover—over 46 acres of the reactive area is expected to decrease odorous emissions once completed. Meanwhile, Chiquita Canyon reported several hazardous leachate leaks and seepages throughout October and November.
A report published by the county in February indicated that during continuous air monitoring of the area, VOCs such as benzene and carbon tetrachloride were detected at increased levels, hinting at a “possible small contribution of benzene” from the landfill adversely affecting local air quality.
The Southern California Air Quality Management District Board (AQMD) imposed new regulations mandating that the landfill adhere to a stricter set of guidelines to curb odors and mitigate impacts.
At the November 13 hearing, Lawrence Israel, an inspector for enforcement and compliance with AQMD, reported that the district receives approximately 1,500 to 2,000 complaints each month in 2024. It has issued around 20 violation notices to the landfill monthly.
Stephen Dutz, lab manager for the district’s monitoring and analysis division, stated that recent air quality samples revealed elevated benzene and acrolein levels beyond expected background concentrations, with at least one sample nearing the federal acute reference exposure limit.
“It definitely warrants further investigation,” Dutz remarked.
Chiquita Canyon presented toxicologists as witnesses who asserted that there were no risks of negative health consequences from exposure to the odors.
“The concentrations of the chemicals we detected were not above the health-protective thresholds,” stated Pablo Sanchez-Soria, indicating that they were consistent with levels found throughout the L.A. basin.
The chemical reaction at Chiquita Canyon is occurring deep underground in an apparently dormant section of the landfill. Lynne Plambeck, president of the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment, a volunteer organization engaged with the landfill situation since 1995, asserted that residents have long accused the firm of continuing to dump in an area previously declared out of service.
“This has been going on for decades; it’s just gotten significantly worse,” she disclosed in a prior interview with The Epoch Times.
Plambeck suggested that radioactive waste, soils containing VOCs, or certain compound combinations such as ash and auto shredder waste could instigate or exacerbate the ongoing chemical reaction, although no one can definitively ascertain the cause.
The judge dismissed claims for punitive damages and denied Chiquita Canyon’s motion to dismiss, allowing Jackie Kruger, a Beverly Hills attorney representing over 1,000 other residents, and other lawyers to move forward with their cases.
Chiquita Canyon was originally set to permanently close upon reaching 23 million tons, or by November 2019—whichever came first. However, in 2016, the landfill commenced negotiations with the county to extend its operation for an additional 30 years and nearly tripled its tonnage cap to 60 million.
Beige Luciano-Adams contributed to this report.
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