After 1,200 recent complaints and 42 violation notices, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic continues to emit odors into residential neighborhoods in north Los Angeles County, most likely caused by an unusual sulfur compound escaping from the bowels of the landfill.
With pungent odors increasing in both frequency and potency since mid-May, Val Verde, Castaic, Live Oak and Hasley Canyon nearest to the 639-acre landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley are the primary communities affected, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The AQMD, the regional air quality regulatory agency, and Waste Connections, the owners and operators of the landfill, have concluded the odors are due to dimethyl sulfide (DMS), a compound produced by a chemical reaction in subsurface waste in an older part of the landfill.
Gas removal systems are ineffective at removing or treating DMS, the AQMD reported. The company is testing innovative ways to stop the chemical reaction and prevent the release of the pungent gas.
The AQMD filed an order for abatement on Aug. 14, saying the odors were causing a nuisance to a “considerable number of persons.”
This order triggered a meeting of its hearing board set for Wednesday, Sept. 6, that will seek ways for the landfill operators to prevent odors from escaping or at least take interim steps to reduce the impact to the community.
The agency said that so far the Chiquita Canyon landfill operators do not know how to stop the release of DMS, or how to treat it, saying this gas is not commonly found in landfills. More common is hydrogen sulfide, which can be treated at the landfill.
Until the gas release is contained or treated, residents are being given incentives to install devices to prevent DMS from entering their homes.
This week, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger is opening a $2 million fund for affected households to apply and receive cash awards to swap out swamp coolers for air conditioners, install new, weather-proofed doors and windows and add insulation.
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill Grant Program, administered by the Los Angeles County Development Authority, will offer instructions for affected residents on how to apply starting next week. Interested households can visit chiquitacanyon.com.
Waste Connections is offering residents who can smell the odors an air filtration device for use in their homes. The device has been certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Residents can go to https://chiquitacanyon.com/local-resident-air-filter-program/ to apply.
“There is no doubt in my mind that residents who live near the landfill are suffering,” Barger said in a statement released Sept. 1. “My hope is that these funds will begin to provide some immediate and much deserved relief.”
Castaic resident and former Castaic Town Council President Lloyd Carder said the odors in Val Verde are more concentrated and frequent than in any of the other communities. “People can walk out of their house and throw up because it is really that strong,” Carder said.
Residents in communities around the landfill used to smell unpleasant odors once or twice a year. “Now, we smell it one or two times a week. You definitely know it when you go outside,” he said.
Carder objected to the fund set up by Barger because the source is fees collected at the landfill for community improvements. While helping residents prevent smells from infiltrating their homes is a good thing, using the community’s funds is wrong, he said on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
“This money she (Barger) is pulling from is money that was supposed to come to the community. It was supposed to be for parks, after-school programs, and healthcare programs for kids and things like that,” Carder said.
“The county should be paying for this out of taxpayer dollars. It should come out of the county coffers,” he said.
He said the county needs to own up to the expansion of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill approved in 2017.
The landfill operator has hired an engineering firm to map out ways to proceed. They have applied for a permit for a flare that will help decrease the DMS production, according to information from a town hall meeting published on the landfill’s website. A permit for the new flare is pending with the AQMD and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, landfill officials said at the meeting.
Chiquita has introduced several practices in an effort to contain the odors. They include placing fans and odor-neutralizing misting systems at the landfill, undertaking regular odor testing in nearby communities, securing tarp covers over waste at the end of each day, and checking daily for cracks in the covers.
The landfill is permitted to accept 6,200 tons of solid waste per day and operates from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To file a complaint, email [email protected] or call (213) 974-6483, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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