WEST COVINA : Landfill Owners Sue City to Keep Dump Open
The owners of the BKK landfill sued the city of West Covina on Thursday in an effort to keep their dump open as late as 2006--11 years past the date the city insists it must close.
On Monday the city sued BKK to force closure in 1995. BKK and the city are suing each other to determine whether their 1985 agreement to close the dump no later than 1995 constitutes a binding contract. BKK is also seeking a court order to prevent the city from enforcing that agreement in the meantime.
BKK has hired former state Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp to argue its case during what is expected to be a massive battle over closing one of the nation’s largest landfills. Last year, BKK earned about $50 million in dumping fees, 10% of which went to the city as a business tax.
At this point, “you gotta get ready for war,” BKK President Ben Kazarian said.
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