County Says No to Tighter Restrictions on Lopez Canyon : Refusal Defies State Board, Leaves Dump’s Fate in Limbo

Defying a request by the California Waste Management Board, Los Angeles County refused Wednesday to toughen restrictions on trash dumping at Lopez Canyon Landfill, owned by the city of Los Angeles.

The state board said Tuesday that a county order--issued Friday--was too lenient and needed to be amended. It asked the county to agree Wednesday to enforce a stricter order by the end of the week against the northeast San Fernando Valley dump.

Deputy County Counsel Judith A. Fries said Wednesday that the county believes that its current order is sufficient. Anything stricter would “force closure of the landfill, at least for a short time,” she said. “The county just doesn’t believe that closing the landfill right now is necessary.”

Chris Peck, state board spokesman, said board members did not learn of the county’s refusal until late Wednesday and had not decided how they will respond. “One of the options is that we could issue an order ourselves,” Peck said. “One would be just to let it go and see what happens in court.”

City, county and state officials agree that the landfill’s fate likely will be decided in Los Angeles Superior Court, where the city is fighting the restrictions. The next hearing is scheduled Aug. 4.

State of Flux

The future of Lopez Canyon, which accepts two-thirds of the city’s residential garbage, has been in a state of flux since July 7, when the state board first asked the county to scale back trash dumping to levels referred to in the dump’s 1978 permit. The county Department of Health Services oversees the dump as the state’s local enforcement agency.

The county maintains that there is no immediate health threat at Lopez Canyon, despite complaints from nearby residents that noxious fumes from the dump waft into their neighborhoods.

The state does not want to accept the section of the county’s order that allows the city to continue operating under guidelines of a 1983 engineering report while applying for a new permit. The state wanted instead to force the city to comply with the 1978 limits in the interim.

The city’s legal challenge to the state order hinges on whether the 1983 report, under which the dump has been operated for six years, is legally part of the permit.

Fewer Trucks

Although reinstituting 1978 permit limitations would cause several changes in present operations--including cutting back the number of trucks allowed to dump at the landfill and reducing the area that can be used for dumping--the most crucial difference from the city’s perspective is a height restriction.

The 1978 permit calls for keeping the landfill below a 1,725-foot elevation, while the 1983 report allows it to reach more than 1,740 feet. The dump already exceeds 1,760 feet in some sections.

City officials say that keeping the height below 1,725 feet will cause the dump to be declared full by the end of next year, leading to its closing well in advance of a projected 1992 closure date.

County supervisors will vote Tuesday on a proposal by Supervisor Mike Antonovich that the city dump be closed immediately if it does not obey the state restrictions.