A Castaic landfill emitting noxious odors making nearby residents ill was hit with a report from a state environmental agency listing nearly a dozen serious problems and 15 recommended fixes that include adding gas collection wells and covering up cracks with a two-foot thick earthen layer.
Chiquita Canyon Landfill is experiencing a smoldering event deep beneath the landfill that is driving up temperatures as high as 201 degrees Fahrenheit, while causing increases in odors, carbon monoxide gas as well as gas pressure that is damaging the system of wells used to extract hazardous gases and prevent their release, according to a report released Oct. 16 by CalRecycle.
The 19-page report written by CalRecycle’s Todd Thalhamer, senior waste management engineer, concluded that the landfill operators, Waste Connections, need to do the following to stop the odor releases: repair cracks in the landfill within 48 hours; install a soil cover of 24 inches around the problem area; replace damaged extraction wells with new ones and fortify wells near the high-temperature reaction site; sample any fluid emitted by decaying waste for volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), such as benzene.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and at high exposures, studies found it can cause leukemia in humans.
Landfill operators have a few days to make immediate repairs but an exact timetable for making all recommended repairs was not released on Wednesday during a press briefing held by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and representatives from the county Department of Public Health, Regional Planning and Public Works.
“Chiquita said they will resolve these issues as quickly as possible. They have been very responsive to our requests,” said Amy Bodek, director of the county Department of Regional Planning. The agency issued the permit for the landfill including a permit allowing it to expand operations in 2017.
Landfill Manager Steve Cassulo…
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