Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Officials Get Aerial View of Elsmere Canyon Landfill Site

A federal task force on forestry and environmental issues took a different view of Elsmere Canyon on Friday morning.

It was a bird’s-eye view offered by Rep. Howard (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) and Santa Clarita officials, with the help of a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter.

The 30-minute aerial tour provided the first look at Elsmere Canyon for Rep. John Doolittle (R-Roseville), co-chairman with McKeon of the Forest, Fisheries and the Environment Task Force.

“It’s an area of interest, what’s happening in the National Forest. We’re very concerned with what happens with our public land,” Doolittle said.

The helicopter took off from center field of The Master’s College baseball field and followed Elsmere Canyon’s primary ridgeline. After circling the canyon three times, allowing the congressmen and media representatives to scan the canyon for waterfalls and signs of wildlife, it peeled off for a brief pass over the existing Sunshine Landfill.

Also on board was Rep. Carlos Moorhead (R-Glendale), who was a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and a representative of the Santa Clarita Valley before redistricting.

“All over the county, they’re having problems with trash dumps and the areas underneath them. I really think the time for building these near metropolitan areas is gone,” Moorhead said. “Just because it’s no longer in my area doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about it.”

Taxpayers will pick up most of the tab for the $2,500 to $3,000 aerial tour of the canyon, according to Armando Azarloza, field deputy for McKeon. Azarloza said Santa Clarita officials have discussed covering a portion of the cost.

The helicopter tour was followed by a public forum that lasted nearly 2 1/2 hours and was attended by 125 local residents.

Speakers from Santa Clarita, the Santa Clarita Valley Canyons Preservation Committee and the local chapter of the Sierra Club reiterated their opposition to the proposed 190-million-ton landfill. Critics say the dump will harm local air quality, threaten the underground water supply, lower property values and lead to thousands of garbage trucks driving through the valley.

Santa Clarita officials called landfills “dinosaur technology,” but predicted the dump proposal will be supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for political reasons.

Mayor Jan Heidt said the forest land ultimately belongs to the people, and demanded the federal government come up with new technology to handle trash rather than approve the land swap and create more dumps.

“I’m not asking. I’m not begging. As owner of this land, I’m going to direct you to not sell, trade or barter this away until you come up with alternatives to deal with our waste,” Heidt said.

A key participant in both the tour and public hearing was Charles McDonald, the Angeles National Forest official overseeing the preparation of the environmental impact report for the dump proposal.

McDonald outlined the history of the complex Angeles National Forest land exchange involving the U.S. Forest Service, BKK Corp. and the city and county of Los Angeles that has been suggested for the landfill. He estimated the draft environmental impact report will be released to the public in November or December.