A Santa Clarita Valley landfill that closed operations last year continues to cause headaches, dizziness, wheezing and other irritations for thousands of nearby residents, according to a lawsuit filed by the state of California in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
California Atty. General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that his office, in conjunction with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, is seeking civil penalties and equitable relief against Texas-based Waste Connections, Chiquita Canyon LLC, and Chiquita Canyon Inc., which manages Castaic’s Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
Bonta alleges in the lawsuit that defendants have “repeatedly, consistently, and pervasively failed to lawfully manage hazardous waste” at the landfill located on Henry Mayo Drive.
That lack of proper handling of hazardous materials has “resulted in numerous spills and leaks of hazardous waste [known as] leachate into the environment, polluting and impairing the natural resources of the state,” according to the lawsuit. The leachate is byproduct of an underground garbage fire that has only spread since it was first confirmed in 2023.
“Protecting the environment and safeguarding Californians requires quick and effective action from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s owners and operator,” Bonta said in a news release. “For too long, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has done the opposite, which has resulted in numerous spills of leachate and other violations of our state’s hazardous waste laws.”
Chiquita Canyon rejected the allegations raised in the lawsuit.
“Many of the allegations in this lawsuit are without merit and much of the political rhetoric ignores the current conditions at the landfill and the hard work of Chiquita and its employees,” according to a statement from the landfill operator. “Chiquita has complied with relevant requirements and worked closely with California regulators to design and develop a complex hazardous waste management program. We look forward to defending ourselves against the state’s unwarranted accusations.”
The 639-acre landfill opened in 1972 and stopped accepting waste on Jan. 1, 2025, according to Chiquita Canyon. The company has said it will continue to manage the landfill, including addressing the smoldering underground fire “that is affecting the northwest corner of the landfill, as well as closure and post-closure activities.”
The landfill is surrounded by the communities of Val Verde, Hasley Canyon, Hasley Hills, North Bluffs, Live Oak, Stevenson Ranch, Hillcrest and Williams Ranch. The Val Verde community is the closest and is located approximately 1,000 feet northwest of the developed area of the landfill, according to the lawsuit.
Overall, thousands of residents and several schools, including Headstart Preschool, Playmakers Preschool, Live Oak Elementary, Santa Clarita Valley International Elementary School, Oak Hills Elementary School, Castaic Elementary School, Rancho Pico Junior High School, Castaic Middle School, Castaic High School and West Ranch High School are close to the landfill, the lawsuit claims. Collectively, these schools serve approximately 6,700 students.
The lawsuit said the improper handling of hazardous materials has lead to their leaking into the nearby community, leading to health conditions such as headaches, dizziness, irritation of eyes, nose, skin, or throat, coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, palpitations and sleep problems.
Landfills often record elevated underground temperatures that happen when microorganisms break down waste. But the state alleges in the lawsuit that an uncontrolled subsurface elevated temperature, or SET, has rapidly expanded within the landfill since May 2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that a landfill temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit or above may indicate that a SET event is occurring.
Chiquita Canyon’s garbage fire has exceeded 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or beyond boiling and has expanded from approximately 20 acres in 2022 to roughly 90 acres and continuing to grow.
The excessive heat event has resulted in the discharge of millions of gallons of leachate, a “solution formed when liquid travels through or drains from solid waste, thickening as it dissolves soluble compounds and draws out chemicals, suspended solids, or other constituents, resulting in a highly contaminated, black, turbid liquid,” according to the lawsuit.
The landfill’s leachate is composed of concentrations of benzene above hazardous waste thresholds and, on occasion, methyl ethyl ketone above hazardous waste thresholds, as well as other harmful constituents at varying concentrations, the lawsuit said.
The growing garbage fire has warped a landfill hillside, which could potentially trigger and avalanche of garbage and leachate.
“In a worst case scenario, the hillside can liquefy and actually slide into the community,” Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D-Santa Clarita) said in the summer.
The state is asking the court to find that Chiquite Canyon’s operators violated several Hazardous Waste Control Laws, which would open them to civil penalties. The state is also seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions and other orders to prevent the landfill operator from violating the waste control laws.
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