Stipulated Order for Abatement

This page was last updated on January 27, 2026

 

Recent Updates

Summary of Activities

Here is a summary of the activities Chiquita has taken and/or mitigation measures Chiquita has implemented over the past week (01/19/26 – 01/23/26).

Chiquita’s December 2024 State of the Landfill Report is available here (en Español) and Chiquita's February 2025 Technical Addendum to the report is available here (en Español). This report provides a summary overview of the Elevated Temperature Landfill event that is occurring in a portion of the Landfill and the efforts Chiquita and its experts are taking to mitigate this event. This report includes data and information as of October 31, 2024 or Quarter Three of 2024.

Any odors coming from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill are related to an abnormal biotic or abiotic process (also known as a landfill reaction) taking place deep within a lined, but older and inactive portion of the Landfill waste mass. This reaction is not a fire or subsurface oxidation event within the waste mass, and is not related to waste disposal operations at the Landfill.

Chiquita continues to work diligently with all of its regulators to address this landfill reaction and any related impacts. In November 2023, local, state, and federal agencies formed a Multi-Agency Critical Action Team (“MCAT”), led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), to coordinate regulatory efforts. In March 2024, this coordination shifted into a new phase, and the County, CalEPA, and U.S. EPA created a Response Multi-Agency Coordination Group (“R-MAC”) composed of federal, state, and local onsite coordinators. On October 14, 2024, the RMAC ended the emergency response phase of their work and the R-MAC disbanded. The MCAT now leads the regulatory efforts at the Landfill.

Odor Mitigation Efforts

In coordination with its many regulators, Chiquita is doing everything in its power to reduce odors originating from the Landfill. On September 6, 2023, Chiquita entered into a Stipulated Order for Abatement with the South Coast AQMD (view the Spanish version) that requires Chiquita to implement many mitigation measures designed to study the reaction, its potential impacts, and potential ways to mitigate the reaction and its potential impacts. This Stipulated Order has since been modified on January 17, 2024, March 21, 2024, April 24, 2024, August 27, 2024, November 13, 2024, April 16, 2025, June 24, 2025, and December 9, 2025. A copy of the December 9, 2025 modified Stipulated Order will be posted once available to Chiquita.

On February 21, 2024, Chiquita received a UAO from the EPA requiring Chiquita to submit workplans for its existing and future efforts to address the reaction and any impacts and conduct additional work to address the reaction.

On June 6, 2024, Chiquita received a Compliance Order from the LEA requiring Chiquita to implement additional mitigation measures to address the reaction.

On April 2, 2025, Chiquita received an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Determination and Order dated April 1, 2025 from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DSTC) requiring Chiquita to engage in three removal actions designed to further mitigate the reaction.

On May 1, 2025, Chiquita received a second Compliance Order from the LEA requiring Chiquita to implement additional mitigation measures to address the reaction.

Among other things, in accordance with the Stipulated Order, the LEA’s letters and Compliance Orders, the UAO, and the DTSC Order, Chiquita is implementing the following mitigation measures:

Completed actions

  • Installed a remote monitoring system for temperature, pressure, vacuum, and liquid levels on 21 wellheads and 5 landfill gas headers
  • Submitted a report on operational events and potential air emission impacts to the community
  • Submitted multiple Reaction Committee determinations on new TOXs
  • Submitted a proposal to assess the viability and functionality of a remote monitoring system
  • Installed a remote monitoring system for temperature in 20 wellheads
  • Submitted a source test report for leachate and condensate vapor sampling at the Landfill
  • Submitted a Wind Barrier Evaluation Study
  • Submitted an Ambient Air and Emissions Monitoring Study
  • Submitted Health Impacts and Odor Impacts Assessment Reports to South Coast AQMD
  • Installed flow meters on the landfill gas piping
  • Completed multiple quarterly inspections of the landfill gas and liquids piping network
  • Installed pressure gauges on the leachate tanks
  • Submitted two expert reports on landfill gas generation and control capacity
  • Submitted multiple semi-annual liquid modeling reports to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a pipe materials temperature study report to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted further revised dewatering guidelines to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted permit applications to incorporate the leachate treatment system into Chiquita’s existing landfill gas control system
  • Submitted a permit application for the landfill gas collection system under the geosynthetic cover
  • Installed 178 dewatering pumps in landfill gas wells 
  • Submitted a revised proposal for additional air modeling
  • Installed 40 temperature monitoring probes in and around the reaction area
  • Submitted a report on potential DMS treatment methods
  • Submitted reports on the testing of the headspace vapors from the leachate tanks
  • Submitted a work plan to restart dewatering
  • Submitted a recommendation on the installation of a remote well pressure and temperature monitoring system
  • Submitted permit applications to further modify Chiquita’s landfill gas and liquids collection systems
  • Designated an Inspection Liaison
  • Submitted workplans listing the actions Chiquita is taking and plans to take to address the reaction
  • Submitted a report on the feasibility of containment of discharges of pressurized leachate
  • Submitted a slope stability analysis of the western and northern slopes of the Reaction Area
  • Installed and began operating a new permanent flare (Flare 3)
  • Installed and began operating a second portable thermal oxidizer
  • Installed 315 new vertical wells
  • Submitted design and installation schedules for the continued expansion of the landfill gas wellfield
  • Submitted an application for a Rule 1150 excavation management plan
  • Submitted an updated workplan and installation schedule for the geosynthetic cover
  • Submitted the proposal for an additional air modeling study to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a slope stability analysis work plan to the LEA
  • Submitted revised protocols for the flux chamber studies to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a report on the cause(s) of the landfill reaction and solutions to slow and stop the reaction to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted initial and revised dewatering guidelines to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a report on air dispersion modeling and a study to determine odor and emission transport of odors from the Landfill to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a report on the feasibility and availability of a continuous community emission monitoring system for DMS to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted a report on landfill best management practices and alternative methods to minimize the release of fugitive surface gas and related odors to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted the findings of four flux chamber studies to South Coast AQMD
  • Submitted an application for a fourth permanent flare

Ongoing actions

  • Report on leachate tank numbers and quantities of liquid collected and treated on a weekly basis
  • Increase 24-hour sampling for VOCs in the community
  • Host biweekly and monthly meetings between technical teams at Chiquita and South Coast AQMD
  • Expeditiously dewater the landfill to the maximum extent feasible
  • Implement mitigation measures while drilling new wells
  • Prevent standing leachate and the pooling or ponding of leachate exposed to the atmosphere
  • Conduct twice daily inspections for liquid/leachate seepage, once in the morning and once in the afternoon
  • Install well boots seals on all wells in the Reaction Area
  • Install temperature monitoring devices in and around the Reaction Area
  • Measure and record landfill gas and leachate temperatures
  • Measure and record quantities of leachate sent offsite for disposal/treatment
  • Measure, sample, and analyze leachate monthly
  • Conduct daily inspections of the landfill cover and geosynthetic cover, and repair identified issues
  • Conduct odor surveillance twice each operating day, once in the morning and once at night
  • Sample and analyze the sulfur compounds in the landfill gas daily
  • Conduct surface sampling across the Reaction Area every two weeks
  • Submit monthly reports to the South Coast AQMD containing information and data collected under the Stipulated Order as well as updates on the implementation of the longer-term improvement projects to the landfill gas and liquids collection and control systems, landfill cover, and more
  • Expand the landfill gas and liquids collection and control systems
  • Procure and install a geosynthetic cover over western and northern portions and the top deck of the Reaction Area
  • Maintain a variety of odor control systems around the Landfill

Odor and Maintenance Logs

All odor and maintenance logs are located within the relevant condition directly below this content. You may open each of the categories to see more details.

Stipulated Order Condition 8 (monthly reports)

Monthly reports submitted to the South Coast AQMD on the 20th of every month as required by Condition 8 of the Stipulated Order for Abatement:

Stipulated Order Condition 15(c) (weekly well drilling updates)

Chiquita’s weekly well drilling updates required by Condition 15(c) to South Coast AQMD:

Stipulated Order Condition 27(c) (weekly leachate inspection reports)

Chiquita’s weekly leachate inspection reports prepared pursuant to Condition 27(c) to South Coast AQMD:

Stipulated Order Condition 27(e) (leachate leak/spill reports)

A summary of the leachate leaks and spills can be found here. (en Español)

Chiquita’s reports to South Coast AQMD under Condition 27(e) summarizing leachate leak and spill information:

Stipulated Order Condition 42(x) (excavation lab results)

Chiquita’s reports to South Coast AQMD summarizing laboratory results collected under Condition 42(x):

Stipulated Order Condition 65 (leachate pump installation updates)

Chiquita’s weekly report to South Coast AQMD under Condition 65 summarizing leachate pump installation activities:

Stipulated Order Condition 53 (leachate tank and quantity reports)

Chiquita’s weekly report to South Coast AQMD under Condition 53 on leachate tank numbers and quantities of leachate collected. Note that Chiquita has stopped submitting these reports on a weekly basis and now submits them on a monthly basis as part of the Condition 8 reports.

Stipulated Order Condition 82 (LFG equipment downtime reports)

Chiquita’s follow-up written reports to South Coast AQMD under Condition 82 regarding planned and unplanned downtime of LFG collection and control equipment:

Stipulated Order Condition 85(c) (west slope toe drain and north slope toe termination project updates)

View Chiquita’s weekly reports to South Coast AQMD detailing west slope toe drain installation and north slope toe termination activities as required by Condition 85(c). Note that Chiquita stopped submitting these reports once the west slope toe drain installation and north slope toe termination activities were fully completed.

Weekly as-built header/conveyance infrastructure maps

South Coast AQMD

Summaries of the monthly Reaction Committee meetings prepared pursuant to Condition 12(f)(iv) of the Stipulated Order:

Reaction Area review reports created by the Reaction Committee pursuant to the Stipulated Order:

Reports created by the Reaction Committee pursuant to the Stipulated Order:

Monthly leachate sampling results submitted pursuant to Condition 38 of the Stipulated Order:

Other submittals:

Local Enforcement Agency

Weekly updates on cover issues in accordance with Milestone 2B:

Weekly submittals of all temperature monitoring probe data in accordance with Milestone 1B:

 

Updates on the installation of the temperature monitoring probes in accordance with Milestone #1B. Note that Chiquita stopped submitting these updates once the probes were fully installed. Chiquita now submits weekly submittals of probe data, as shown above.

Weekly updates on the installation of the geosynthetic cover in accordance with Milestone 2A. Note that Chiquita stopped submitting these updates once the geosynthetic cover was fully installed.

Weekly monitoring probe and well installation update in accordance with Milestone 4-2:

Monthly report pursuant to Milestones 1A-3 and 5 of the LEA’s June 6, 2024 Compliance Order and the LEA letter dated July 30, 2024:

Weekly updates on the installation of the 60-mil EVOH geosynthetic cover in accordance with Mitigation Measure 4-1:

Additional LEA Correspondence

Los Angeles County Public Works

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

Groundwater monitoring well sampling reports:

Quarterly groundwater monitoring reports:

Quarterly liner integrity reports: 

Leachate seep/spill reports: 

30-day storm event reports:

Other Water Board submittals: 

Department of Toxic Substances Control

Monthly summary reports required by the DTSC Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Determination and Order: 

Other submittals to DTSC:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Other Regulators

Air Quality

Access Chiquita's Air Monitoring Program data here.

Air quality monitoring required under Condition 68 of the CUP is ongoing. Air monitoring equipment is operational at all five on-site locations at the landfill and all seven off-site locations in the surrounding community. Further information and the consultant’s presentations to the Community Advisory Committee on the air monitoring program are available on the Community Advisory Committee webpage.


Consultant Reports Submitted to the CAC, TAC, or Any Government Agency as required under Condition 68 of Chiquita’s CUP:


Quarterly or Annual Reports Submitted to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health or South Coast AQMD as required under Condition 68 of Chiquita’s CUP:


Monthly Data and Quarterly Summary Reports Submitted to the Los Angeles Department of Public Health


Air Monitoring Investigation Reports Submitted Pursuant to Condition 34(d) of the Stipulated Order with South Coast AQMD


Other Reports 

  • Chiquita’s December 22, 2023 report on the feasibility of conducting continuous monitoring for DMS and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes (BTEX) submitted to the Department of Public Health (en Español)
  • South Coast AQMD Rule 1150.1 monitoring reports dating back to 2018 are available on the Landfill Reports section of Chiquita’s website

Upcoming Public Meetings

Chiquita will host the following Community Information Meetings to discuss current updates and odor mitigation efforts at the Landfill.

Please note, the originally scheduled January 22, 2026 meeting has been rescheduled to Thursday, January 29, 2026.  The meeting information is noted below:

Next Community Information Meeting – January 29, 2026 at 6:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://wasteconnections.zoom.us/j/94433793274

Phone one-tap:
+13462487799,,94433793274# US (Houston)
+12532158782,,94433793274# US (Tacoma)

Join via audio:
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 444 9171 US

Webinar ID: 944 3379 3274

Previous Community Information Meeting Materials

Community Advisory Committee Meeting

Community Advisory Committee Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. Meetings start at 6:00 pm.

The Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Advisory Committee (CAC) was established in accordance with Conditional Use Permit No. 2004-00042, which was approved by the County of Los Angeles (County) Board of Supervisors (Board) on July 25, 2017. The CAC serves as an advisory body to the Board, Regional Planning Commission (Commission), and County Staff on issues relating to the Landfill, and as a conduit for the community to communicate with the Commission and other regulatory agencies on an ongoing basis regarding issues involving the development and operation of the Landfill. Chiquita representatives attend the meetings of the CAC to provide regular, and timely updates and reports regarding landfill operations as a means to maintain an open line of communications with local leaders and residents.

Next CAC meeting - Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM.
In person - Castaic Library (27971 Sloan Canyon Rd, Castaic, CA 91384).

A registration link to attend the meeting will be provided once it becomes available.
Public comments will be received at these meetings.
More information can be found on the CAC website.

Technical Advisory Committee Meeting

The Chiquita Canyon Landfill Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) consists of County Planning, Department of Public Health, Department of Public Works, and the Forester.  The TAC was established for the purpose of reviewing, coordinating, and certifying the satisfactory implementation and/or completion of the plans, permits, and/or agreements required and/or authorized by the Landfill’s Conditional Use Permit, including the implementation and/or completion of the Conditions of Approval, the Implementation and Monitoring Program, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.


Next TAC meeting
This section will be updated once the information becomes available.

More information can be found on the TAC website.

Castaic Area Town Council Meeting

Town hall meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Meetings start at 6:30 pm, commencing by 6:45 pm, and are usually completed by 9 pm.

Next CATC meeting – February 18, 2026

You can join the Zoom Meeting using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89674085265...
Meeting ID: 896 7408 5265
Passcode: 211269.
Alternatively, you can dial in at +1 669 900 9128.

Public comments will be received at these meetings.

The presentation from the March 19, 2025 CATC meeting can be found here.

South Coast AQMD Hearing

The next status update and modification hearing on the Stipulated Order for Abatement will be held before the South Coast AQMD Hearing Board on May 28, 2026 at the SCAQMD Headquarters in Diamond Bar. Virtual public comments will be received at the hearing.

Virtual - Join via Zoom
Meeting ID: 914 2934 2608
Call - 669 900 6833

FAQ + Useful links

Use the below accordions to view answers to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) from the community. Please also see the useful links below that will take you to articles off of this site.

Chiquita Canyon: An Update on State’s Response
The Signal, by Pilar Schiavo - April 2, 2024

All Hands Needed on Chiquita
The Signal, Becki Robb - April 9, 2024

Castaic school district, landfill working on air quality mitigation
The Signal, Tyler Wainfeld - April 12, 2024

Why is Chiquita Canyon, LLC (Chiquita) not taking the reaction and its impacts on the community, or the community’s complaints, seriously?

Chiquita takes very seriously its role in the safe operation of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill (Landfill) and in open, real-time communication with the local community and Chiquita’s regulators. Chiquita and its many consultants and experts have been working around the clock to implement a multitude of mitigation measures to address and stop the landfill reaction and any related impacts. Chiquita implemented an incident command system to better restructure its response to the reaction and ensure continued cooperation with Chiquita’s regulators. Chiquita provides regular updates on the implementation of its mitigation measures and other updates concerning the landfill to both its regulators and to the public. Chiquita continues to work cooperatively with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and all of its regulators to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Chiquita cares about the community and takes seriously the community’s complaints. The Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Relief Program was initiated in March 2024 to assist with offsetting costs associated with odor mitigation for those living in communities surrounding the Landfill. Through this Program, residents of Val Verde, Live Oak, Hasley Hills, Hillcrest Parkway, Hasley Canyon, and Stevenson Ranch have been able to request funding that can be used to assist with expenses such as temporary relocation, home hardening, and increased utility bills. Program applicants could also request an air filtration device or replacement air filters. As a result of long-term trends in on-site surface emissions data and off-site air quality data, Chiquita decided to end the Community Relief Program at the end of February 2025.

  • Duration: March 2024 – February 2025
  • Total distributions: $23.5 million
  • Air filters distributed: over 1,700

View the two letters Chiquita submitted to Senator Scott Wilk (en Español) and to the U.S. EPA, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and South Coast AQMD (en Español) on August 29, 2024, containing updates on the Community Relief Program and responding to letters received on July 25 from Senator Wilk and August 7 from the U.S. EPA, Supervisor Barger, and South Coast AQMD.

There have been many complaints from the community of eye irritation, respiratory symptoms, and skin issues. Why has Chiquita continued to say there are no health impacts facing the local community?

Chiquita fully recognizes that neighboring communities are suffering odor-related impacts. Recognizing these impacts, Chiquita has committed and is currently working to provide assistance to those affected by odors from the Landfill. The current data and evaluation by experts, including an independent health risk evaluation conducted at the direction of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, show that there are no anticipated long-term health impacts from these odors. However, the study by the Department of Public Health states, and Chiquita recognizes, that odors may cause short-term health impacts or may otherwise affect quality of life.

Pursuant to a Stipulated Order for Abatement with South Coast AQMD, Chiquita was required to have prepared by a third party an analysis of potential health impacts and an assessment of potential odor impacts. In compliance with this requirement, toxicologists with CTEH prepared a Health Impacts Report and toxicologists with Intertox prepared an Odor Impacts Assessment Report. An easy-to-read summary of the reports is attached immediately below, along with copies of the reports and supporting information:

In addition to the health and odor impacts assessment reports that Chiquita has prepared, Chiquita’s regulators have also commissioned a couple health studies.  The resulting reports are provided below:

Why does the landfill continue to ignore the local community’s pleas for assistance regarding the odor?

Chiquita has and continues to address the community’s requests for assistance. Chiquita previously released $3.5 million in funding to Los Angeles County to be used to fund environmental, educational, and quality of life programs, or to fund regional public facilities that serve the Val Verde, Castaic, and other unincorporated areas of the County surrounding the Landfill. Los Angeles County used $2.5 million of those funds to establish the County’s Utility Relief Grant Program. The program run by Chiquita had a wider scope than the County’s program, offering payments for more neighborhoods and for additional expenses.

Chiquita has also distributed over one thousand air filtration devices to the community and continues to make the devices as well as replacement air filters available to the community. For more information, please visit the following webpage: https://chiquitacanyon.com/odor-mitigation/.

Evidence of the landfill reaction dates back to May 2022, resulting in thousands of odor complaints in 2023 and 2024 thus far, as well as multiple regulatory actions in 2023 and 2024. Why has Chiquita done nothing about this?

In cooperation with its many regulators, Chiquita has implemented a multitude of mitigation measures to better understand and address and stop the landfill reaction. Chiquita started implementing many of these mitigation measures voluntarily when the reaction first began and is now implementing these measures, as well as many more, as required by and in coordination with its regulators. More information on these mitigation measures and status updates on the implementation of these measures is available at the following webpage: https://chiquitacanyon.com/odor-mitigation/. Chiquita continues to work cooperatively with the EPA and all of its regulators to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Why isn’t Chiquita being transparent about current issues at the Landfill?

Chiquita takes very seriously its role in the safe operation of the Landfill and in open, real-time communication with the local community and Chiquita’s regulators. Chiquita consistently participates in and answers questions during multiple public community meetings that occur each month. Chiquita also updates its website on at least a weekly basis with information about current issues at the Landfill and the multitude of mitigation measures and activities that Chiquita is conducting and data that Chiquita is collecting. Please see the following webpage for more information: https://chiquitacanyon.com/odor-mitigation/.

Is there a fire at the Landfill?

No, there is no fire at the Landfill. The Landfill is experiencing an elevated temperature landfill (ETLF) event, or a “reaction” – a chemical reaction occurring deep within an older, inactive portion of the Landfill, which has resulted in elevated temperatures and increased generation of leachate (liquids produced by a landfill). Things such as increased leachate production would not occur with a fire—the amount of leachate produced by the Landfill has increased tenfold since the ETLF event.

Is Chiquita discharging hazardous waste into the environment? Is the landfill leachate presenting a serious and dangerous situation at the Landfill?

Chiquita has retained a third-party consultant to assist with the recharacterization, management, treatment, and disposal of Chiquita's leachate.

Leachate extracted from the landfill that is characteristically hazardous is typically handled in one of two ways. A portion of this hazardous leachate is shipped to permitted, off-site hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities. The rest of the hazardous leachate is treated on-site and rendered non-hazardous. Chiquita sends the treated non-hazardous leachate to non-hazardous treatment and disposal facilities once post-treatment confirmatory sampling shows that the treated leachate is below regulatory levels and the facilities have approved the shipment.

Chiquita tests its onsite sedimentation basins on a regular basis in order to ensure compliance with the facility’s stormwater permit and related requirements, including implementation of substantial measures to prevent leachate from commingling with stormwater and/or discharging offsite.

Chiquita is also working cooperatively with its County, state, and federal regulators, many of which are regularly coming onsite to assess the management of this leachate, to minimize potential risks.

There are reports that the odor is going to continue for as long as the ETLF event is happening, and ETLF events can last for years. Is this true?

As Chiquita has discussed at several of the community meetings it hosts and attends, the ETLF conditions may continue for years, but once Chiquita is able to fully implement some of the mitigation measures that are currently in progress, it believes that it will be able to mitigate or eliminate odor impacts in the shorter term. This has been the experience at several other of the 10 to 15 landfills across the country that have experienced ETLF events in the majority of their waste mass.

Are these ETLF events or landfill reactions common?

No. There are hundreds of municipal solid waste landfills in North America, but there are only approximately 10 to 15 landfills with the majority of their waste mass that can be characterized as experiencing an ETLF event or landfill reaction. There are also only another 40 or so other landfills that have had a relatively limited portion of their waste mass exhibit ETLF conditions.