The owner of the Chiquita Canyon landfill was unable to extinguish a smoldering chemical reaction that spewed toxic odors into area communities and prompted legal action from Los Angeles County, the owner of the Chiquita Canyon landfill announced Tuesday. , they will close the 52-year-old city landfill on New Year’s Day.
Representatives for Texas-based Waste Connections Inc. said in a letter to California environmental regulators and public officials that Dec. 31 is the date the company’s 639-acre facility in the Santa Clarita Valley will receive the Last day of solid waste.
“Qinquita had hoped to maintain its key role in the community’s solid waste management system but has made the difficult decision to close its active waste operations,” said Landfill Manager Steve Cassulo. wrote. “While Chiquita has available (capacity), it is no longer economically feasible to maintain ongoing operations of Chiquita due to the regulatory environment.”
For nearly two years, Chiquita Canyon has been grappling with the effects of a rare chemical reaction that caused sudden high temperatures deep underground in a closed portion of the landfill. The extreme heat baked decades of trash and damaged the landfill’s gas control system, causing foul-smelling gases to waft into nearby Val Verde and Castaic.
Smoldering conditions also caused pressure to build, causing geysers of hazardous liquid waste to erupt to the surface, with white smoke seeping from long cracks. In recent months, Chiquita Canyon has faced increasing pressure from regulators who have imposed restrictions on where waste can be placed in the landfill.
Chiquita Canyon is the second-largest active landfill in Los Angeles County and typically receives approximately 2 million tons of solid waste annually. That accounts for about one-third of all trash disposed of in Los Angeles County.
In a region that has long struggled to reduce waste and has seen dwindling processing capacity, government officials are now studying how the shutdown will affect the flow of waste in Southern California.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said officials expected Chiquita Canyon to close. Recently, landfills have been receiving significantly less waste. Barger said Los Angeles County officials oversee the transfer of the waste to the Simi Valley and Antelope Valley landfills.
So far, tonnage shipped to Sylmar’s Sunshine Canyon, which receives the most trash each year, has not increased.
Barger said she will introduce a motion at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Jan. 7 directing the Department of Public Works to conduct an assessment of the closure of Chiquita Canyon, including environmental issues related to plans to transport waste elsewhere. and financial impact.
“I am committed to ensuring that this transition does not result in any form of price gouging or unfair practices in waste management services,” Barger said. “Protective measures must be taken to prevent increased financial burdens on our residents and businesses. However, I want to emphasize that my top priority remains providing relief to communities that continue to be plagued by toxic odors from landfills.
The Los Angeles County Public Works Department has previously expressed concerns about closing Chiquita Canyon.
The decision to close Chiquita Canyon is not expected to address chemical reactions that occur in long-dormant portions of the landfill and could continue for years. The agency also noted that closures could lead to more contamination and higher costs because trash is transported farther.
“As the agency responsible for regional waste planning in Los Angeles County, we will ensure there are no disruptions to trash collection services in our unincorporated communities and will work closely with the City of Santa Clarita to help prevent any disruption to their services,” Los Angeles said Mark Pestrella, county public works director. “The health and safety of our residents remains our top priority.”
