State agency says data contradicts landfill’s statements, leachate tank farm in danger
Disputing Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s recent claims that the subsurface reaction is under control, the California Environmental Protection Agency issued its own “expert analysis” Tuesday evening to state the opposite:
“Contrary to recent public statements that the landfill operators have made while announcing termination of their Community Relief Program, the data show that the reaction is not under control,” read the statement from CalEPA, sent to The Signal via email by
Nefretiri Cooley, deputy secretary for communications for the state agency.
“In fact, it has expanded to 90 acres — over three times larger than the 28-acre reaction area claimed by the landfill,” the statement continued. “The reaction now threatens a ‘tank farm,’ a collection of tanks atop the waste mass where the facility treats and stores millions of gallons of leachate at the eastern edge of the landfill’s main canyon.”
The statement was shared in an announcement of additional enforcement actions intended to hold the landfill accountable, Cooley said.
“Our latest analysis is clear: The landfill must take additional, urgent action to protect Val Verde, Castaic and other impacted communities,” Mindy McIntyre, CalRecycle chief deputy director, said in the CalEPA release.
The order outlines that these entities’ actions have created an imminent and substantial danger of a release of hazardous leachate that could harm public health and the environment, according to CalEPA.
It requires the landfill to relocate the tank farm, expand the geosynthetic cover to encompass the entire main canyon waste mass, install a vertical reaction barrier at the southern portion of the landfill, and conduct additional monitoring, maintenance, and reporting activities to manage the reaction.
The landfill previously was seeking permission to build a permanent tank farm on the landfill’s site, but it appears that will no longer be possible due to safety concerns.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control also issued new violations against the landfill for failing to minimize the possibility of a release of hazardous waste, requiring the landfill to take prompt corrective measures or face penalties of up to $70,000 per day, the release said.
Regulators discussed a number of worst-case scenarios during a community meeting last month, including one in which the landfill essentially cuts and runs on its obligations to the landfill, which Waste Connections has said it does not intend to do.
The other worst-case scenario discussed by CalRecycle at the Castaic community meeting: the entire main canyon fill, more than 140 acres, being consumed by the subsurface reaction.
Since early 2022, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has been experiencing a subsurface elevated temperature event in its northwest portion, which has since grown in size and impact, according to the CalEPA release. “This reaction is causing several issues for nearby residents, including noxious odors emanating offsite, which have generated more than 27,000 complaints to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).”
The reaction also is producing excess quantities of liquids in the waste called leachate, which must be pumped out of the reaction area. This hazardous leachate has been found to contain benzene, a dangerous chemical that can harm public health and the environment, according to the statement.
Attempts to reach a landfill spokesman after normal business hours were not immediately successful Tuesday evening.
