Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth District includes the Santa Clarita Valley, sent a letter to California State Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo Monday requesting that she urge and ensure state agencies—specifically, the State of California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region—are proactively monitoring, assessing and ultimately regulating the handling and disposal of leachate at Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

In the letter, Barger highlights that the regulation of the handling, treatment, and disposal of hazardous waste leachate falls under the authority of a number of state agencies and Special Districts. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently affirmed that Chiquita Canyon Landfill has failed to properly manage the leachate seeping from the reaction area and has not been properly treating, storing, or disposing of the leachate.

“Given the ongoing efforts of County, State, and Federal agencies to exercise our collective authority to regulate the Landfill and eliminate the ongoing odor impacts to the community, time is of the essence,” wrote Barger.

The letter was issued less than a week after Supervisor Barger directed county leaders to report actions taken by the county during a Board of Supervisors meeting.

During the meeting Barger noted that, to close the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, state agencies with authority over landfills can and should exercise their authority to revoke permits. “Unilateral action by the County at this time will certainly be legally challenged and will go nowhere,” Barger shared in a follow up statement issued after the meeting. “There must be a clear justification to order Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s closure and we can build a stronger case to do so with support. I am hopeful that we can appeal to the relevant state agencies, which includes South Coast Air Quality Management District, the Regional Water Quality Control Board Los Angeles Region, and CalRecycle, the lead enforcement agency in charge of landfill closures and post closure maintenance. County and state agencies need to band and stand together.”