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EPA issues violation notice to Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators
VOL. 12,
NO. 175
Man charged in murder of father of 6 in Monrovia By Staff
By City News Service
T
he Chiquita Canyon Landfill operators have been notified they are in violation of the federal Clean Air Act by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and a community advisory committee meeting regarding the landfill was held Tuesday in Castaic. The landfill was notified of violations for excessive toxic air emissions in a letter dated June 4. The operators of the landfill, Chiquita Canyon LLC, and the company that owns it, Waste Connections, received the notice from the EPA. The landfill is also in violation of its operating permit by emitting high levels of toxic gases such as benzene and volatile organic compounds that are known to create smog and
contribute to the formation of the ozone, which can cause lung damage. It is the first time the EPA has issued a violation to the landfill operators and owner. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has received more than 15,000 complaints about the landfill from nearby residents since January 2023. The EPA is leading a multi-agency task force to monitor the landfill and track the pollution it is creating. CalEPA, the state Department of Toxic Substance Control and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board have also issued violation notices to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. In the notice sent by the EPA earlier this month, it
Leachate fills a drainage channel upstream of the check dam at Chiquita Canyon Landfill on Nov. 8. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Gandara family. | Photo courtesy of Dali Gandara/GoFundMe
A Liquids collect on top of scrim tarp and gas pillows at Chiquita Canyon Landfill on Jan. 18. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
states the landfill "failed to maintain and operate air pollution control equipment in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice for minimizing emissions." The landfill has been the source of pollution and complaints for months. In March, the Water Quality Control Board denied the landfill's request to expand operations in its East Canyon Project. The landfill applied for the expansion on Jan. 4, 2022. The water control board sent a letter dated March 1 informing the operators of the rejection. Chiquita Canyon Landfill requested to expand the facility at cells 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the East Canyon area and northeast of the cells in current use.
The landfill operators have been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Toxic Substance Control recently for violations. The Department of Toxic Substance Control cited the operators on Feb. 21 for transporting toxic waste pumped from soil from the landfill to a facility in Gardena not permitted to accept it. The EPA issued a statement in February saying the landfill presents an "imminent and substantial endangerment" to air and water pollution. The landfill's community advisory committee meeting took place Tuesday evening at the Castaic Library, 27971 Sloan Canyon Road in Castaic.
man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting a father of six outside the victim's Monrovia home, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Friday. Christopher Wiggan, 42, pleaded not guilty Friday to the murder charge in connection with the killing of 38-year-old Nicolas Gandara, who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the neck on Sunday, according to the DA's office. Gandara tried to stop an argument between the Wiggan and an area resident on Duarte Road when the shooting occurred, the District Attorney's Office reported. Wiggan fled, but he was arrested the next afternoon when he returned to the murder scene. “I’m deeply saddened by the tragic loss of an innocent husband and father of six, who was senselessly shot and killed outside his own home,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a prepared statement. “I extend my deepest condolences to the victim’s family and assure you that we are here to
support you in any way that we can. Such heinous acts of violence have no place in our society and will not be tolerated. We are committed to seeking justice for the victim and his family and will work tirelessly to ensure that the individual responsible for this heinous crime is held accountable.” Wiggan was being held without bail and faces life in prison if convicted, according to the DA's office. The case's next scheduled court date is a preliminary hearing setting conference on June 20 in Dept. H of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Pasadena Branch. Jail records show that Wiggan was arrested Monday by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, released from custody Wednesday and arrested again by Monrovia police within seven minutes, City News Service reported. He has remained in custody since then. The sheriff’s department is investigating the case, according to the DA's office. A GoFundMe page was established on behalf of the Gandara family.