Plans to Expand Dump in Val Verde Draw Opposition

Allowing Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Val Verde to expand its capacity tenfold would significantly harm the area’s air quality, draw more traffic and simply isn’t necessary, dump opponents told county planning commissioners Wednesday night.

“Please remember, we are human beings and deserve a clean and safe community,” said Jose Vega, a resident of the small Val Verde community that lies west of the Golden State Freeway and north of Six Flags Magic Mountain.

He was one of about 200 protesters who attended the meeting. They said the hazards will apply not only to Val Verde but also Newhall Ranch, a community planned by the Newhall Land and Farming Co. that is to grow to 22,230 homes and 70,000 residents over a 25-year period.

“Garbage dumps do not belong in or around heavily populated areas,” said Jill Klajic, a former Santa Clarita city councilwoman. “You have the opportunity now to send a very strong message to the waste industry. It’s time to stop doing business as usual.”

The 592-acre landfill, which is operated by Laidlaw Waste Systems, currently has a capacity of 3 million tons of trash and is scheduled to close in 1997. The proposed expansion would make room for 29 million more tons of trash and would keep the facility open until at least 2005.

Laidlaw applied in 1989 for a county permit to expand the dump.

Opponents of the project say there is no need to increase the Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s capacity, especially since the company now uses only one third of its daily 5,000-ton dumping allowance.

“It’s very difficult to understand why you would want to expand something when the use has declined,” said Santa Clarita resident Dick Unger.

Not everyone opposes the proposed expansion. Some Ventura County officials support the project as an alternative to expanding landfills in their county.

The attendance at Wednesday’s meeting did not match the 3,000 people who packed a similar May meeting about a dump proposed in nearby Elsmere Canyon.

County officials will accept public comment on the proposed expansion until Nov. 16.