AQMD Called on to Close Landfill or Control Fumes

Anti-dump activists and politicians representing Lake View Terrace on Friday called on air quality officials to close the Lopez Canyon Landfill or force the city of Los Angeles to control toxic gas emissions there.

“This board cannot allow the city to make a mockery of the laws intended to safeguard the public’s health,” Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) told the South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing board.

The five-member board, which usually meets at the district headquarters in El Monte, moved Friday’s meeting to the Lake View Terrace Community Center. About 150 people attended the hearing to testify about alleged violations of state air pollution control laws at the northeast San Fernando Valley dump.

But after four hours, almost 40 speakers had not yet testified and the board voted to continue the hearing until 9:30 a.m. May 5. That meeting also will be held in Lake View Terrace.

Katz and other speakers, including City Councilman Ernani Bernardi, said the city was ordered last August to bring methane gas emissions into compliance with state law by December, 1989. But, they pointed out, as recently as last month emissions were measured at 10,000 parts per million, far above the 500 p.p.m. allowed under state law and the landfill’s air pollution permit.

He said the dump was cited for violating state law and AQMD rules as recently as April 9.

Bernardi called on the board to show the city that “it can no longer violate the law with impugnity.”

“As far as I’m concerned, you can close the dump down right now,” the councilman said.

Deputy City Atty. Christopher Westhoff, representing the city’s Bureau of Sanitation, said the city already is in compliance with the air quality board’s order because it has installed 43 gas collection wells to control emissions. He said more wells are planned.

Rob Zapple, representing homeowners in Kagel Canyon and Lake View Terrace, said four children playing in their yards were overcome by fumes from the landfill last October. He also said a worker at the landfill was hospitalized in January after breathing the fumes.

Board members said they were unaware of the incidents cited by Zapple and asked for documentation of them at the nexts hearing.