Firm Plans 1991 Opening of Elsmere Canyon Dump

Executives of a private landfill firm said Tuesday they expect to receive permits by early next year to open a dump in Elsmere Canyon just outside Santa Clarita, and hope to have it operating by 1991.

Kenneth B. Kazarian, president of BKK Corp., said the dump could operate for at least 50 years and accommodate up to 165 million tons of trash. It would cover 400 to 600 acres of secluded Elsmere Canyon, which is about a mile east of the Antelope Valley Freeway.

The dump will accept non-hazardous material and household solid waste, Kazarian said. It will process grass clippings and tree trimmings into compost and recycle newspapers, aluminum cans, cardboard and asphalt. A synthetic or clay liner on the canyon floor will protect water supplies, he said.

BKK will apply soon for a conditional-use permit from Los Angeles County and begin preparing an environmental impact report on the project, said Joseph Schilli, an engineer with HDR Engineering of Irvine. A draft of the report should be available to the public about September or October, he said. By law the report must be finished 12 months after it is begun, he said.

Kazarian and Schilli spoke at the first of two informal meetings the company held Tuesday to explain the dump proposal to Santa Clarita Valley residents.

A few residents attending the afternoon meeting said they fear that the dump would contaminate ground water. Marsha McLean of Newhall asked whether an earthquake could rupture the protective liner underneath the proposed landfill. She asked if a quake could send trash tumbling down the canyon and into Santa Clarita.

“If there is an active fault, it’s doubtful you’ll ever see a landfill there,” Kazarian said.

Kazarian and Schilli said residents’ concerns about water, noise and air pollution will be addressed in the environmental impact report.

The dump needs permits from Los Angeles County, California Waste Management Board and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.