In a first, EPA has found Chiquita Canyon Landfill in violation of Clean Air Act. Will there be fines or jail time?
The Chiquita Canyon Landfill, just west of the city of Santa Clarita on Thursday, March 21,2024. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued violations for excessive toxic air emissions against the troubled Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic.
For more than a year, a subsurface smoldering far beneath an older part of the site has heated up the liquid leachate and extraction pumps to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the hot leachate to overwhelm the removal systems and flow into the nearby river — which state, local and now federal agencies have reported caused the escape of emissions.
Specifically, EPA inspections and analysis concluded that the removal of gases from extraction systems was not always operating. In 2023, the landfill did not properly monitor the gaseous extraction mechanisms1,244 days at extraction wells that had temperatures exceeding 145 degrees Fahrenheit., the landfill has installed more wells to remove gases.
Plambeck said the EPA action is significant because it can incur cash penalties, which would more likely be the case, she said. “There may be some pretty hefty fines involved,” she said. She said the threat of paying fines may move the landfill owners to action. The EPA said according to its analysis, the landfill is releasing excessive amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. Volatile compounds that are released are a major component of ground-level ozone, which can cause chest pains, coughing, throat irritation and may permanently scar lung tissue.
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