CalEPA Pressroom

DTSC Orders Chiquita Canyon Landfill to Take Emergency Actions

On April 1, 2025, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) issued an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment Order to Chiquita Canyon Landfill, LLC, Chiquita Canyon, Inc., and Waste Connections US, Inc., requiring them to relocate the tank farm, install a vertical reaction barrier, expand geosynthetic cover across the entire main canyon waste mass, and conduct additional monitoring, maintenance, and reporting. DTSC also issued new violations for failing to minimize the possibility of a hazardous waste release, with penalties up to $70,000 per day. CalRecycle's March 28 analysis found the subsurface reaction has expanded to 90 acres — over three times larger than the 28-acre area claimed by the landfill operators — and now threatens the tank farm. The actions are part of a coordinated Multi-Agency Critical Action Team (MCAT) response led by US EPA.

CARB Details Largest State Air Monitoring Response to LA Fires

CARB presented to its Board on March 27, 2025, detailing the agency's air quality monitoring response to January's Palisades and Eaton Fires in Los Angeles, which burned nearly 40,000 acres and destroyed over 16,000 structures. The response, described as the largest in the program's 34-year history, involved mobilizing the Incident Air Monitoring Section to help South Coast AQMD expand its monitoring network, establishing five new air monitoring sites in February near burn scars. Initial monitoring data shows levels do not pose an immediate risk to public health, with data available on South Coast AQMD's WildFire Monitoring dashboard tracking particulate matter and over two dozen air toxics.