{"id":48633,"date":"2024-01-27T00:14:47","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downtownlalaw.com\/?p=48633"},"modified":"2026-06-16T19:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:30:15","slug":"average-value-of-a-chiquita-canyon-toxic-landfill-odor-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downtownlalaw.com\/es\/toxic-lawsuit-lawyers\/average-value-of-a-chiquita-canyon-toxic-landfill-odor-lawsuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Valor promedio de una demanda por olores t\u00f3xicos en el vertedero de Chiquita Canyon"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>\n

– Breaking News Alert –<\/h1>\n

Chiquita Canyon Landfill<\/h1>\n

Closing<\/h1>\n

Now Accepting New Claims<\/h1>\n
Qiquita Canyon Landfill is closing down<\/strong>, but the fire is getting worse<\/strong>. We are expanding the inclusion zone for new qualifying cases from 5 miles to 6.5 miles<\/strong> from the landfill.<\/div>\n
CALL NOW<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n

Average Value of a Chiquita Canyon Toxic Landfill Odor Lawsuit<\/h1>\n
\n

What is the average value of a Chiquita Canyon toxic landfill odor lawsuit?<\/i> This is a very important question. For some people with potential claims, the answer to this question may even be what determines whether they decide to go through with the legal process. If you have any questions about the possible value of your claim or even the average value of claims similar to yours, do not hesitate to contact the attorneys here at our law firm as soon as possible. Our lawyers are ready to answer all general questions that you may have as well as all specific questions relating to your claim. Here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group, our legal team has decades of experience and is ready to go above it all to fight for your rights.<\/p>\n

A Summary of the Situation Surrounding the Chiquita Canyon Landfill<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in September 2023, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) issued an abatement order to Waste Connections \u2013 the operators of the landfill \u2013 that required them to take action to reduce the odors coming from the landfill as they were impacting the community. The operators were ordered to maximize use of gas flares, submit monthly reports, bring in an committee to investigate and address the issue, and, overall, increase monitoring efforts. This abatement order was a result of countless complaints coming from residents in the surrounding community.<\/p>\n

Residents complained of a smell so putrid that they must keep their windows closed all the time and must limit all outdoor activities. Some residents also complained of asthma attacks and nose bleeds because of the putrid smell.<\/p>\n

According to both the landfill operators and the AQMD, the odor is caused by dimethyl sulfide (DMS) that comes from an older part of the landfill. DMS is a colorless, oily liquid with a smell similar to that of an onion \u2013 or worse. The odor from the landfill has been reported to affect the Castaic, Hasley Canyon, Live Oak, and Val Verde communities. Residents are in the works to file a class action lawsuit.<\/p>\n\n

The EPA Gets Involved in the Chiquita Canyon Landfill Situation<\/span><\/p>\n

Residents have been complaining about the situation for months on end; still nothing has happened. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is involved. On February 22, 2024, the EPA stated, in a news release, that the current situation at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill \u201cpresents imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities.\u201d They also stated that the landfill operators should \u201ctake immediate steps to protect human health and environment.\u201d The agency issued an order requiring the landfill to do the following: (1) \u201c[alleviate] off-site community impacts caused by odors and hazardous waste leachate\u201d, and (2) \u201ccontain and reduce the smoldering or reaction event occurring at the landfill.\u201d<\/p>\n

The EPA also highlighted that just a week before their news release, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control issued multiple violations, including violations for failing to make \u201ca proper waste determination, disposing of hazardous waste at an unauthorized facility, and failing to minimize the possibility of release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although some are hopeful that EPA involvement means that the landfill operators are finally going to take action<\/a> to remedy the conditions at the landfill, many residents believe that the only solution is for the landfill to be permanently closed.<\/p>\n

Is Chiquita Canyon Doing Anything to Mitigate Odors in the Community?<\/span><\/p>\n

Excavation work at the landfill, specifically at the west slope of the landfill, has begun. This is part of mitigation efforts to address the elevated landfill temperature, increased leachate production, and odors coming from that part of the landfill<\/a>. The slope has been covered by a scrim (a plastic cover). To complete the work, the landfill operators need to remove the scrim, excavate into the waste mass, and install a drain and sumps to allow them better control of the leachate. After this work is done, the waste mass will be covered with dirt and covered with a 30-mil geosynthetic cover.<\/p>\n

This work began the week of August 5, and it is anticipated to last about 6 weeks. In the public notification regarding the work, the landfill operator made it clear that additional odors<\/a> are likely; the operator highlighted that they are working closely with regulators to minimize the impacts to the community.<\/p>\n

The Chiquita Community Relief Program <\/span><\/p>\n

Through this program, members of the affected communities \u2013 including Stevenson Ranch, Hasley Canyon, Hillcrest Parkway, Hasley Hills, Live Oak, and Val Verde \u2013 can access funding to assist with claimed expenses related to the odor mitigation. Funding can be used for costs of temporary relocation, increased utility bills, home hardening, air filtration devices, and replacement air filters, for example.<\/p>\n

It is important to highlight that this relief program is designed to provide affected community members with stipends for eligible expenses. Applying for this program and getting funds should does not release any legal claims for damages made against the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. In other words, affected community members could still have grounds to file their Chiquita Canyon odor lawsuits for actual damages.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Review of Victims\u2019 Right to Sue<\/span><\/p>\n

Can members of the community sue for the harm that they suffered because of exposure to toxic fumes\/odors coming from landfills? Yes \u2013 victims can definitely have the right to sue<\/a>. Exposure to DMS has been associated with the following harm:<\/p>\n