In a recent push to assist residents inundated by the stink of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has taken a firm stance, demanding the landfill operators to fork over funds for relocation assistance, KTLA reports. The nauseating fumes have turned daily life sour for many in Castaic, sparking Barger's urgent plea to Waste Connections, the Texas-headquartered company behind the landfill mess.
Despite a study by the Los Angeles County Health Department identifying no long-term disease risk from the odors, discomfort and health aggravations remain a throbbing headache for locals—symptoms include everything from respiratory irritation and chest tightness to nausea, all is creating a significant dip in their quality of life, the health study FOXLA notes.
In her letter to Waste Connections' Vice President and Deputy General Counsel John Perkey, Barger minced no words, highlighting the dire situation: "It is undeniable that the community is suffering," a sentiment echoed by residents battered by an unrelenting stink. Moreover, Barger's not just after a fix for fleeing residents; she's pushing for air filtration devices, extra contributions to relief programs for utility bills, and support for home improvements to counteract the foul odor, reflecting her comprehensive look at mitigation measures, according to KTLA.
On the topic of the landfill's attempts to wash the stench away, Chiquita Canyon has agreed to discuss Barger's demands and their odor control efforts at a community meeting, a notion they shared in a statement promising more details on the horizon; they said, "We are reviewing the recommendations made by Supervisor Barger and how they can be implemented as part of the overall strategy," as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, an independent consultant has stirred a pot of contention, after claiming no 'alarm bells' were sounded by the report on the landfill's air quality, a statement that's earned the ire of residents — many of whom adamantly dispute his conclusions and what's more, vocally demanded the landfill's closure at a recent meeting. The actual data—from toxic benzene levels to yet uninstalled air quality monitors—smacks of a saga years in the making, building up a pile of violations and over 7,000 complaints, numbers that don't lie and spell out a clear problem, according to the consultant's findings shared by FOXLA.
