AQMD to Seek Charges Against L.A. Over Lopez Landfill Fumes

Air quality officials said Tuesday that they will ask the district attorney’s office to file criminal charges against the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation over an incident in which workers who were grading a road at Lopez Canyon Landfill were overcome by noxious fumes.

The city-operated landfill at the northeast edge of the San Fernando Valley previously had been cited by the South Coast Air Quality Management District for grading a road without the required air district permit.

On March 8, two workers fainted and required medical care after grading equipment uncovered garbage that was buried in 1982. Although the odors that sickened the workers have never been identified, the AQMD believes that they were caused by hydrogen sulfide, a gas that occurs when manure and garbage break down.

Referral in 2 Weeks

Air district spokesman Bill Kelly said his department’s investigation would be referred to the district attorney within the next two weeks. “Once we send it to them, it’s their case, so I can’t really say exactly what the charges will be.”

The district’s case focuses on why city workers were grading a road through a mountain of trash without a permit, Kelly said. Air district officials have said in the past that they believe that monitoring requirements involved in obtaining such a permit might have prevented the accident.

The city Bureau of Sanitation refused to comment on the air district’s decision to seek criminal charges.

“We have no knowledge of it,” said spokeswoman Gil Elliot. “We haven’t heard or seen anything yet.”

Councilman Ernani Bernardi, who represents the residential areas nearest the landfill, praised the air district for taking a stern stance.

“Their job is to protect the community, protect the people surrounding these hazardous landfills, and I’m glad that they’re doing their job,” Bernardi said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Carter, a member of the Los Angeles Toxic Waste Strike Force, said he knew few details of the case except that it was being referred to his office. Carter said he probably would not limit his investigation to the grading practices but would look at any worker safety violations.

‘Use the Results’

“We’ll use the results of the air district’s investigation, but if we get any leads from those, we may follow them on our own,” he said.

Lopez Canyon is scheduled for closure in 1992, but the Bureau of Sanitation hopes to keep it open until 2005 and to double its daily capacity of 6,000 tons of garbage.

The expansion plans require City Council approval and are opposed by Bernardi and Lyle Hall, his opponent in the June 6 council runoff election. Bernardi said Tuesday that it was “too early to tell” whether the investigation by the district attorney’s office would help him gain council support to prevent the expansion.

Bernardi has asked the city’s legislative analyst to look into the March 8 accident and general practices at the landfill. He said that report is expected within the next month.