Landfill operators to develop relocation assistance plan

The operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill told nearby residents there is a plan to provide assistance for those affected by the strong odors from the landfill, but it will take about six weeks before it’s put in place.

Meanwhile, the residents told the operators of the landfill during a community meeting at the Castaic Library on Tuesday they are being treated unfairly and are tired of being told more studies are needed to determine if the landfill is polluting the air, water and land in the community.

The Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators addressed Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s request for relocation assistance services for nearby residents of the landfill at a meeting at the Castaic Library.

Barger is asking the operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which has been repeatedly cited for health and air quality violations, to provide relocation assistance services for those who live near the landfill and have been affected by the odors coming from the landfill.

In a letter Barger sent to a landfill executive Thursday, she requested immediate steps be taken to address the impacts on the community members who live near the landfill.

The landfill operators said they are setting up a community benefit and relocation program, but it will take a month to six weeks before it will be implemented.

“We are at an important crossroads. Although we have a significant number of organizations involved from the federal, state and county government levels, it has become increasingly clear to me that there is no predictable end in sight,” Barger wrote in the letter addressed to John M. Perkey, vice president and deputy general counsel for Waste Connections, which owns Chiquita landfill and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

“As you continue working to comply with oversight and odor abatement requirements, the very real and significant impacts to those living near the landfill must be addressed.”

Barger’s district includes the Santa Clarita Valley and the communities near the landfill.

Additionally, the letter requests the landfill operators to provide air filtration devices, to contribute more funds to the Utility Relief Program, which she initiated to help residents pay utility bills, and support a program that is intended to help homeowners make improvements related to the odors from the landfill.

The landfill operators said in a statement it planned to discuss its odor mitigation efforts and Barger’s request at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday at Castaic Library.

“We are reviewing the recommendations made by Supervisor Barger and how they can be implemented as part of the overall strategy. We will have more to report on this and other mitigation updates at next week’s Community Advisory Committee meeting,” the statement said.

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