EPA Finds Chiquita Canyon Landfill Presents Imminent and Substantial Endangerment to Nearby Communities
Agency demands action to address ongoing noxious odors and other hazards.
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Chiquita Canyon LLC (CCL) to take immediate steps to protect human health and the environment at its non-hazardous municipal solid waste landfill in Castaic, California. The order requires Chiquita to mitigate off-site community impacts caused by noxious odors and hazardous waste leachate and to contain and reduce the smoldering or reaction event occurring at the landfill.
“This order reflects EPA’s commitment to ensuring landfill operators mitigate noxious odors and comply with federal law to prevent public exposure to hazardous wastes,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Today’s order is the result of local, state, and federal collaboration to better protect the health of nearby residents as well as the surrounding environment.”
The 639-acre Chiquita Canyon Landfill, located in the northern section of Los Angeles County, has garnered thousands of complaints from nearby residents about noxious odors and leachate (the result of rainwater or other liquid filtering through or draining from wastes placed in a landfill) and prompted the issuance of over one hundred notices of violation from state and local regulatory agencies to CCL. The source of the complaints is a sub-surface smoldering or elevated temperature reaction at the landfill that began in May 2022 and has grown in size and impact. As of January 17, 2024, the reaction area was located approximately 1,000 feet from the nearest resident.
In 2023, residents of the communities surrounding the landfill submitted more than 6,800 complaints of odor nuisance to the South Coast Air Quality Monitoring District (SCAQMD). Residents reported numerous health impacts from the noxious odors, including eye irritation, respiratory symptoms, and skin issues. SCAQMD has consistently traced odors back to the landfill and the reaction area and it has taken independent enforcement actions to mitigate the public health impacts caused to the community by the odors.
The leachate seeping from the reaction area contains elevated levels of benzene, a hazardous substance. Benzene can adversely affect human health through air exposure or the consumption of benzene-contaminated water. The sub-surface reaction has caused a significant increase in leachate production, which CCL failed to properly manage as hazardous waste and has not been properly treating, storing, or disposing of the leachate.
On November 30, 2023, local, state, and federal agencies formed a multi-agency critical action team to address the human health and environmental impacts caused by the deteriorating conditions at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
The Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) issued by EPA, in coordination with the multi-agency team, requires Chiquita Canyon LLC to comply with the law and properly manage, treat, and dispose of hazardous waste and to take steps to mitigate the odors emanating from the landfill.
EPA can issue a UAO when the agency finds there may be an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or the environment. The order issued by EPA incorporates on-going enforcement efforts by state and local agencies to ensure a comprehensive response to the challenges posed by the landfill. Once approved by the agency, EPA will oversee implementation of the plan.
For more information about the order and EPA’s actions, visit Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA’s enforcement reporting website.
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