Landfill meeting focused on state permit, not county’s
A public meeting hosted by Los Angeles County staff regarding Chiquita Canyon Landfill, at first assumed to be regarding a new separate permit, was held to clarify state regulations for the landfill’s operations.
County staff met with local community members Wednesday night to discuss the next step in permitting for the operations of Chiquita Canyon Landfill after it was granted a conditional use permit last year.
At the Wednesday meeting at Embassy Suites, a staff presentation stated the meeting was to transmit information about a state solid-waste facilities permit administered by the county’s Public Health Department’s Solid Waste Management Program.
The state facilities permit is separate from a previous county permit issued to the landfill in July 2017, county officials said.
“The state permit is a regulatory document that specifies how the facilities operate,” said Angelo Bellomo, deputy director for the Public Health Department’s Health Protection Division. “It does not change anything decided in the (county’s conditional use permit). Those requirements are still in place. We’re not considering any changes.”
“We remain committed to the strict regulations outlined in this agreement,” 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a prepared statement. “There is no new proposal. Rather, it is the next step in the process.”
In July 2017, the county granted a conditional use permit to Chiquita Canyon Landfill to continue operations for another 30 years.
Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s operator, Waste Connections, is then required to obtain a solid waste facility permit from the state agency CalRecycle after a conditional-use permit is approved. The state permit discussed on Wednesday will be submitted to CalRecycle.
The state permit was not a planned revision to the terms that the county granted to the landfill in its conditional use permit last year, county officials said.
“Once a CUP is granted to an operator, it is typically up to the landfill operators to decide how they want to operate within the limits of that CUP,” Bellomo said. “Then they would go to the state to amend their solid waste management permit.”
The application for the solid-waste facility permit on the state level limits the landfill for up to 12,000 tons per day, which still falls under the county’s limits. The county CUP would limit the facility to not exceed an average of 8,974 tons per day, Barger said.
Fewer than 10 Val Verde residents were at the meeting. During the public comment portion, resident Susie Evans said the homeowners did not receive notice, although county officials said they had mailed out notices to those living within a 1,000-foot radius of the landfill.
“The Val Verde Civic Association (VVCA) has reached out to CalRecycle and made sure to be on the notification list so we can participate and also publicize updates with more notice,” association President Erica Larsen said on Friday.
“Many local residents as well as the VVCA have implored the county to notify residents of updates beyond the 1,000 feet from the project borders,” she said. “Even though this is farther than the required 300 feet, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill affects residents far beyond this area due to many factors, including topography and wind patterns.”
“We apologize if some of the residents didn’t get a notification, and we’re certainly willing to have a second meeting if that would help clarify what the purpose of the initial meeting was,” Bellomo said.
Residents who want to comment can call the county at 626-430-5540 or email dlugo@ph.lacounty.gov, Lugo said.
No Chiquita Canyon landfill officials spoke at the meeting.