County sues Chiquita landfill, seeks relief for ‘communities under siege’
Chiquita Canyon Landfill is being sued by L.A. County to address “ongoing environmental and public health hazards caused by the landfill’s operations,” as well as to seek relief for “impacted communities under siege,” according to a news release from 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office. The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that the landfill’s owners — Chiquita Canyon LLC, Chiquita Canyon Inc., and Waste Connections US Inc. — have failed to control a persistent and harmful underground smoldering reaction within the landfill, which has been emitting noxious odors, hazardous gases, and toxic leachate into nearby communities and the environment for nearly two years, the release states. … The landfill’s ongoing pollution problems are the subject of a unilateral administrative order from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which is overseen by joint county, state and federal agencies, including CalRecycle, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the State Water Boards and the South Coast AQMD, among others.
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