Chiquita Canyon Landfill officials are being slapped with “stronger mitigation measures” in a yearslong effort to reduce the persistent odors that have been affecting the surrounding community, officials announced Wednesday.
“New and modified requirements include expanded remote air monitoring and the use of drones for aerial surveillance to detect landfill emissions more rapidly and in areas that are inaccessible,” the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) announced in its news release.
Complaints about the stench from the landfill located on 29201 Henry Mayo Dr. in Castaic have been increasing since mid-2023, prompting demonstrations by outraged residents living near the waste disposal site.
The landfill had already been ordered to limit the smell reaching neighbors, but a three-day South Coast AQMD hearing last August was filled with criticism, noting that there had been “no meaningful improvement,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Protestors demanding action over fumes from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill thast are allegedly sickening locals. (KTLA) -
Complaints of noxious odors from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic have notably increased since 2023. -
Residents near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill allege the toxic fumes have sickened locals. -
An aerial view of trucks unloading, heavy equipment spreading trash over a hill near where 100 metal storage containers storing contaminated or polluted water, holding up to 20,000 gallons each as the result of an underground landfill fire at Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) -
Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California. Aug. 16, 2023 (KTLA) -
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, California is seen in an aerial view from Sky5. (KTLA) -
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic is seen on Aug. 16, 2023. (KTLA)
The amended Order announced Wednesday requires Chiquita Canyon Landfill to comply with the following:
- Install remote gas system monitoring
- Drone-based methane inspections
- Daily cover inspections and repair using higher quality material to limit tears
Since January 2023, South Coast AQMD says it has received more than 29,500 odor complaints from nearby residents and has issued approximately 350 Notices of Violation to Chiquita Canyon Landfill for California Health & Safety Code violations, the news release states.
