Just two months after successfully defending a lawsuit in order to stay open, Chiquita Canyon Landfill announced in a letter sent via email on New Year’s Eve that it would be stopping operations, effective Wednesday.
The letter stated operations were “no longer economically viable,” which is why the landfill was shutting down.
The move leaves many concerned for the future of the landfill, which has tormented thousands of residents for more than a year with its pollution and smells, garnering complaint after complaint and failing to fully address numerous public nuisance-abatement orders.
“Chiquita had wished to maintain its crucial role in the community’s solid waste-management system, but has made the difficult decision to close its active waste disposal operations,” according to the letter sent via email Tuesday by Steve Cassulo, district manager for Chiquita Canyon, a facility owned by Texas-based Waste Connections.
“Although Chiquita has available airspace, due to the current regulatory environment, maintaining ongoing operations at Chiquita is no longer economically viable. Chiquita remains committed to working with federal, state, regional and local authorities to protect public health and to continue addressing the (elevated temperature landfill event), and will also continue working to maintain compliance with its permits, governing orders and agreements.”
One of those leading the effort on behalf of residents, Oshea Orchid, a Castaic Area Town Council member and attorney suing the landfill, called news of the letter an “amazing thing for the new year,” in a phone interview Friday.
“This is obviously the first step in the right direction,” Orchid said Tuesday. “We’ve known for a long time that it’s irresponsible for them to continue to take trash with the ongoing problem at the landfill, and with the landfill recognizing the problem and realizing they can no longer take trash, this means we can now focus all effort on cleaning up the reaction and getting the situation under control.”
The move marks the latest turn in the relationship between Los Angeles County and Chiquita Canyon, which has seemed to change since the Oct. 4 victory for Chiquita, when L.A. County counsel was sitting next to Chiquita’s attorneys. Residents sued both entities seeking to remove the landfill’s county operating permit.
In response to the October ruling by Judge Stephen Goorvitch, who didn’t find a legal basis to remove the county’s ability to grant operating permits for its landfills, the county issued a statement expressing concern, but also “validation” of its dutiful oversight.
“The court’s ruling is simply validation that Los Angeles County is dutifully overseeing the terms of the landfill’s conditional use permit for areas actively receiving waste,” according to a statement issued via email by Helen Chavez, spokeswoman for 5th District L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, back in October. “But make no mistake — the community’s suffering is real, and needs continued and urgent attention.”
However, less than two weeks after the ruling, the public communication between L.A. County and Chiquita struck a different tone.
In response to months of requests, an Oct. 17 letter from Barger and Barbara Ferrer, head of the county’s Department of Public Health, asked the county’s Cancer Surveillance Program to evaluate “potential cancer clusters” in communities impacted by the landfill.
By this point, Barger already had rebuffed attempts by the landfill to get the county’s help for reconsideration of the Los Angeles Water Board’s denial of plans to expand Chiquita.
On Oct. 22, the landfill said it might sue if the county doesn’t reconsider, and also mentioned costs that would be passed on to local ratepayers if the Castaic facility is closed.
After the county’s response was criticized loudly by residents at a packed Oct. 28 community meeting at Castaic Middle School, Barger sent another letter in November, stating the landfill had less than two months of capacity remaining.
On Nov. 14, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued further orders for the landfill, criticizing the facility’s response, which has led to more than 25,000 complaints.
On Dec. 16, L.A. County officials filed their own lawsuit against Chiquita Canyon Landfill, trying to help “impacted communities under siege,” according to a news release from Barger. The complaint includes claims for public nuisance, violations of the California Unfair Competition Law and violations of county code.
There are also still more than 2,000 plaintiffs in federal lawsuits that have been consolidated against Chiquita Canyon. Those cases are currently working their way through federal court in Downtown Los Angeles.
“Burrtec has contingency plans in place to minimize any disruptions to service in the short term,” said Carrie Lujan, spokeswoman for the city of Santa Clarita, in a text Tuesday.
Darin Seegmiller, the city’s environmental services manager, is working on a “long-term solution” for the Santa Clarita City Council’s consideration at the Jan. 14 meeting, Lujan added.
County officials said they have been working for months on contingency plans in the event of a closure.
Landfill officials speculated on some of the potential L.A. County impacts back in October, regarding Chiquita’s closure.
“Every customer in Los Angeles County will see large rate increases some larger than others, but anticipation would be $8 to $10 on average per resident per month,” according to an email in October from John Musella, spokesman for Chiquita Canyon. “The closure of Chiquita will limit the landfill tonnage to two companies, Waste Management and Republic, which will provide these companies with a complete monopoly on landfill tonnage in Los Angeles County.”
How the city of Santa Clarita and L.A. County adjust are likely to be part of public discussion in the coming weeks.
