3 Torches at Old Dump Reignited : Glendale Cut Off Methane Flares to Meet AQMD Order

Glendale officials Friday reignited three fiery torches that burn off methane gas leaking from a covered-over landfill, reversing a decision to extinguish the flames more than 24 hours earlier that briefly raised fears that the gas could gather in nearby areas and explode.

Glendale officials put out the flares at about 7 p.m. Thursday, saying they were bowing to a decree from the South Coast Air Quality Management District that the equipment at the Scholl Canyon Landfill did not meet state standards.

City officials mounted a 24-hour watch on nearby neighborhoods, looking for signs that leaking, but unburned, methane was accumulating. City officials said that if they found such signs, they were prepared to defy the AQMD and relight the flares, justifying the action on safety grounds.

No gas clouds were located, however, and the incident passed without further trouble when the AQMD reversed its order, allowing the flares to be reignited at about 8 p.m. Friday. An AQMD spokesman said the agency had not realized its order would cause the flares to be turned off.

Covered Over

The Scholl Canyon dump is owned by Glendale and operated by Los Angeles County. A large portion was closed in 1974, covered over and converted to a golf course, tennis courts and sports field.

Methane gas from decomposing trash--which reaches down to a depth of 245 feet beneath the golf course--leaks from the soil. To dispose of it, the city in 1983 installed a system that collects the gas and burns it.

Leaks found in the system last September forced closure of the golf course and tennis courts. In addition, the city was also ordered to close the entire massive recreation center built over the landfill.

Since October, the AQMD has been attempting to get the city to replace its old system with modern equipment that releases less pollution.

An AQMD hearing board on Thursday ordered the city “to either shut down the equipment or to abide by a set of conditions” set by the board to meet emission standards, said David Rutherford, an AQMD spokesman. The city was ordered to act immediately or face fines of up to $25,000 a day.

A roadway into the recreation area was blocked Friday and posted with warning signs.

The flares were extinguished, but Glendale City Manager David H. Ramsay warned that the AQMD order could result in greater problems from the leaking gas than the emissions from the flare system.

Ramsay said it was feared that the leaking gas, if not burned, could gather in canyon pockets around the landfill, causing odors and posing the danger of an explosion. Ramsay complained that the city was forced into “a Catch-22 situation.”

Variance Denied

“On the one hand, they have denied our variance to use the flares, and on the other hand, we have the concerns about gas migration,” he said.

However, when the AQMD was contacted about the problem Friday by reporters, officials said they were surprised that the flares had been extinguished immediately.

“It was not the intention of the hearing board . . . to have the city shut the flares down,” Rutherford said. “We feel that shutting off the flares could cause a potential risk to the public’s health and safety.”

Ramsay said AQMD officials agreed not to cite the city over the weekend. He said city and district officials agreed to meet early Monday “to sit down and try to resolve the issue.

The Glendale City Council this week awarded a contract to install a new gas collection system, which is expected to be completed within a few months, officials said.