Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Review Period on Dump Report Extended

Neighbors of Chiquita Canyon Landfill have won an extra 90 days to review the draft environmental impact report for the proposed expansion of the dump, which would swell its size to more than 10 times current capacity.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved expanding the public review period to 180 days after several Val Verde residents told the board that the original 90 days allotted for formulating a response to the report was not near enough, considering its complexity.

“This just isn’t enough time to review this massive project,” Ruth Griffin, president of the Val Verde Civic Assn., told the supervisors. “[The extension] is only fair because of the effect this is going to have on our community. This report took many years to complete.”

Jeff Kolin, Santa Clarita’s deputy city manager, said his city had not had time to review the report either. “We want 90 days so we can look at it, and analyze any potential impact on our community,” he said.

The proposed expansion of the county dump, which is just outside Val Verde, has generated widespread opposition in that community of about 1,650 people, as well as in other areas of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Originally, the 592-acre dump was scheduled to close in 1997. The expansion would extend its life to at least 2005.

The draft environmental report said that enlarging the dump would significantly worsen local air quality and flatten ridgelines.

Laidlaw Waste Systems, the dump’s operator, applied for a county permit to expand the landfill in 1989.

An expansion is also sought by some in Ventura County, which currently trucks a couple of hundred tons daily to the dump. That amount could rise to as much as 3,000 tons daily from Ventura County alone if the expansion goes through.

Two public hearings will be scheduled for citizens to discuss the proposed dump expansion, which must ultimately be approved by the county Board of Supervisors.