EPA joins chorus of government agencies demanding action on Chiquita Canyon Landfill

Federal officials are cracking down on the company overseeing the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, but a protest from neighbors indicates some want it shut down entirely.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday found that the landfill “presents imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities” and Chiquita Canyon LLC should “take immediate steps to protect human health and the environment,” the agency said in a news release.

“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,” the release said.

The EPA is referencing the odor, as well as liquid produced by the landfill — referred to as leachate — as a result of the “reaction event,” in which oxygen gets below the surface of the landfill and feeds into “extreme temperature increases” that produce the odor and leachate, the EPA said.

Just over a week ago, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control found that the landfill is in violation of several safety regulations.

“On February 15, 2024, DTSC issued violations to CCL related to CCL’s leachate management and disposal which included violations for failing to make a proper waste determination, disposing of hazardous waste at an unauthorized facility, and failing to minimize the possibility of release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents,” according to the EPA.

The months of foul odor in the area also drew the attention of L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who earlier this month wrote a letter to Waste Connections Vice President and Deputy General Counsel John Perkey noting that it’s “undeniable that the community is suffering.” Waste Connections oversees the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

“My constituents are consistently voicing how their overall quality of life has been negatively impacted …The residents surrounding the Landfill should not be expected to live with the odors that are impacting them every day without significant relief,” she wrote.

EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman praised the work between different levels of government.

“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,” Guzman said in the release. “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.”

Some neighbors, however, think the government action isn’t enough. They think the only way to keep them safe is to shut down the landfill entirely. They took to protesting on Thursday.

In a statement, Steve Cassulo, district manager of Chiquita Canyon Landfill, noted that the problems stem from “a rare reaction occurring deep within an older section of the Landfill” and said the company and regulatory agencies have been “working cooperatively to rapidly address these issues.”

“Chiquita takes very seriously its role in the safe operation of the landfill,” Cassulo said. “We also believe it is important to keep the community informed, and have been communicating openly and transparently with the local community throughout this process. We have been providing regular updates at various public meetings as well as information, reports and data on our website.”