Cemetery, Residents Have Dust-Up Over Truckloads of Dirt : Kagel Canyon: A civic group complains that the amounts being dumped exceed legal limits and that the vehicles pose a hazard.

The dirt is being dished in Kagel Canyon near Lake View Terrace, but how much is being taken--or, more appropriately, is being dumped--is under question.

On one side of this dirty dispute is the Kagel Canyon Civic Assn., which represents about 325 households in the community near Angeles National Forest. On the other side is Sholom Memorial Park & Mortuary, which has been in the 13000 block of Lopez Canyon Road since the 1940s.

The dust began to fly in July when trucks loaded with dirt began rumbling up Kagel Canyon Road, through the heart of the community, to fill a canyon so that the cemetery can expand.

Residents complain that the amount of dirt being dumped exceeds legal limits and that the trucks pose a hazard.

As proof of their concerns, residents point to an accident Monday morning in which a dump truck backed into a utility pole, knocking out electricity throughout the canyon for about an hour. According to Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein, all but about 45 households were back on line within an hour of the 8 a.m. accident. All power was restored by 5 p.m., he said.

Cemetery officials, however, say that Kagel Canyon Road is the only safe route for the trucks and that permits have been obtained from Los Angeles County for the work.

Rob Zapple, a member of the civic association’s board of directors, said cemetery officials have refused to discuss the matter with residents.

“The cemetery has been a terrific neighbor,” Zapple said. “That is why we are so amazed that they have taken this tack of being noncommunicative.”

However, cemetery manager Clara Mangliers denies the charge, saying cemetery officials have explained the expansion project to anyone who has inquired.

“Each time a call has come in, I have answered the question the best that I can,” she said.

County officials could not be reached Monday because of the Columbus Day holiday.

What is left is charges and denials.

Zapple said 50 to 60 trucks trek daily through the community to dump dirt on the site. More than 400 trucks trundled through one day in July, he said.

Officials from both the cemetery and the trucking company say there were never more than 100 on any day. Simon Apodaca, a supervisor with LVJ Leasing Co. in La Puente, which supplies the trucks, said that in recent weeks only two or three trucks have delivered dirt to the cemetery each day.

Zapple complained to county officials, but they told him that Sholom cemetery had permits to dump up to 100,000 cubic yards of dirt. But Zapple said truckers have told him that 400,000 cubic yards have already been dumped and that, ultimately, as many as 3 million cubic yards will be hauled in.

“That’s impossible,” replied Apodaca, who claimed that only about 3,000 cubic yards have been dumped so far. However, both Apodaca and Mangliers said they did not know how much dirt will eventually be brought up.

The debate could continue for some time. The fill dirt comes from construction sites, making it an irregular supply during the economic slump, Apodaca said.

“I don’t know when the job will be done,” he said.