The residents filed a lawsuit on Thursday, a few minutes after protesting and demanded the Los Angeles County, which was closed to Chikita Canian Landfil in caustic, which received a response due to the frequent toxic release in the communities that make the residents sick.
Supervisor Catherine Bargar, whose fifth district includes Landfil and Santa Clarita Valley, said any kind of closure is out of question.
In a statement made immediately after the protest began, a legal challenge was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on the same day, Burgar wrote that on the basis of current information about landfill problems, abatement efforts and health risk factors, “County has not determined that the closing of Landfill has currently been warned under conditions of county cups (conditioned use).
A group called Citisens for Chiquita Canyon Closener, who lives near the municipal landfill, and says that they are affected by breathing landfills, the court documents argued that County is violating its own cup as the landfill has become a threat to a nuisance and public health.
Chikita Canyon Landfil in Caustic on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
In addition, on Thursday, the US Environmental Protection Agency stated that there was a “imminent and adequate threat” to the landfill pass communities. This ordered the part of Chikita Canian LLC, landfill operators and large waste connections located in Texas to take immediate steps to protect the residents.
Residents of Val Val Varde, Custome, Live Oak and Hasle Canian have reported asthma attacks, bloody nose, skin irritation, nausea and heartbeat to officers, including areas of 639 acres in the Santa Clarita Valley of 639 acres in Claurita Valley. 100 violations have been issued to landfill operators and received more than 7,000 complaints from nearby residents.
The problem starts from the occurrence of a “smuggling” below an old part of the landfill, which began about two years ago, leading to the release of the odor with high levels of internal landfill temperature and demethel sulfide (DMS), which can spread to miles in the air, which can spread to miles.
Landfil received a violation from the control of the State Department of Toxic substances on 15 February 2024, which was found to be higher than the poisoning level for benzene for a non-intelligent waste treatment facility in chemical liquid-gardena by decomposing the collapses to try to move the leachet. DTSC stated that waste water should be classified as dangerous waste. The Gardena plant is not equipped to take dangerous waste, but usually treats non-khatana wastewater and sends treated water to the sewers of Los Angeles County.
A known human carcinogen is associated with human affairs of leukemia in contact with benzene.
Landfil operators replied to the EPA in a statement posted on their website, earlier stated that the ileate-release is stems from the problem area located in the old, non-active segment of the landfill, not where the waste is currently being buried.
In a statement on the website, Landfil District Manager Steve Kasulo wrote, “Chikita, with its various regulatory overseas agencies, is working cooperatively to address these issues rapidly.” “We welcome the opportunity to work with EPA as a partner with our other regulators.”
From Friday, February 23, 2024, someone posted a handmade symbol on a bulletin board at San Martinez Road and Chikito Canian Road intersection, against supervisor Catherine Burger, after issuing a statement by Bargar, saying that the county did not see any reason for closing the Chicita Canian Landfill. (Law firm Sethi, photo etiquette of Orchid Minor LLP.)
The residents who spoke on Thursday blamed the county for giving expansion permits in 2017 and expressed dissatisfaction with the supervisor’s response to their concerns about smell and health hazards.
“The community is disappointed to see Baragar actively, supporting the continuous operation of the Chikita Canian landfill in the midst of a serious health crisis created by the landfill for its community. Burger is still trying to refer to this serious health crisis as an smell, ”Pasadena -based Law firm Setty Orchid Minor’s Attorney Orchid Osia represented residents in an email on Friday.
But Burgar said that he has demanded accountability from landfill operators and county and state agencies. He has installed a fund for the residents who left the house with their air conditioning, changed to 24/7 to help them pay their electricity bills.
Recently, Bargar asked Landfil operators to provide rehabilitation assistance services for those living near Landfil. Landfil operators said they are setting up a community profit and rehabilitation programs.
In his statement on Thursday, Bargar wrote that closing would not help prevent smell.
“Because the smell does not arise from the active parts of the landfill and since the operator of the landfill is actively working to eliminate the Odors, closing the chikita canian landfill will not have any effect when the odor will not have any effect,” he wrote.
He said: “County cannot unilaterally close the landfill without justification.”
Osia disagrees that a closed, even temporary, would allow everyone to focus on one thing from the temporary, landfill operator to regulatory agencies: abolition of odor and leachet release. “When a landfill stops, they begin treatment. With this being an imminent health danger, this deck needs all hands on cleanup, ”said Osia.
Bargar pointed to the fingers of the state assembly of the region to the finger, saying that they should instigate state regulatory agencies to do more. She said she was transferring county resources to help residents and was in a hurry to respond to the crisis, but it is up to the state MLAs to oversee reactions from state agencies and to assess whether there is something to consider the closure of the landfill.
He wrote, “I have not yet have a similar action to address these issues to my state counterparts.”
On Friday, five members of the assembly wrote a joint letter, asking for a meeting with the state regulatory agencies to talk on strategies to monitor the aerial emission of landfills, fix the problem and coordinate efforts with EPA. The letter was addressed to the heads of DTSC, State Water Resources Control Board and SCAQMD.
“Without the rapid resolution of this crisis, prolonged release of toxic chemicals in the immediate environment and now more and more los angeles region, the LA will increase the negative effects for the residents and the surrounding ecosystems,” the letter concluded.
The legislators Pillar Shiavo, signed by the 40th assembly district; Chris Holden, 41st Assembly District; Tina McCinor, 61st Assembly District; Mike Gypson, 65th Assembly District; And Eduardo Garcia, 36th Assembly District. Shiavo and Holden spoke at the news conference with the residents of Santa Clarita Valley on Thursday.
Holden is running against the border for La County Board of Supervisors for the fifth district in March 5.