The Chiquita Canyon landfill, as seen on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024.
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators have been notified they are 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 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.
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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.
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.
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. Watch and listen to the meeting virtually here.
