Three LA County landfills are set to accept wildfire debris

L.A. County supervisors cleared the way Tuesday for large amounts of wildfire debris to be disposed of at the Calabasas, Sunshine Canyon and Lancaster landfills.

The debris will come from Phase 2 of the cleanup process, which includes ash, soil and the remnants of homes, including foundations and chimneys. Hazardous material such as asbestos, propane tanks, solvents and lithium batteries should have been removed as part of Phase 1 of the cleanup. That should be wrapping up this week, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Eric Swenson, who spoke during the supervisors' meeting.

“The fire ash and debris is in an uncontrolled state, and what is most important for the health of this community ... is that we get it from an uncontrolled environment to a controlled environment as quickly and safely as possible,” Swenson said.

More than 13,000 structures were damaged or destroyed in the January fires, resulting in what’s likely to be millions of tons of debris.

 ”We've always removed it to the closest landfills, permitted, that have a legal responsibility and sanctioned to take the debris. We've done that in all fires we've been in,” said Robert Fenton Jr., FEMA Region 9 administrator.

To accommodate the influx of waste, the county Department of Public Works asked the supervisors to approve an increase in the amount of trash each landfill can accept, a temporary waiver for Calabasas to allow waste to be brought in from burn areas, and recognition that the disposal of the debris is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act regulations. The supervisors voted, 5-0, to approve the changes.

Sunshine Canyon in Sylmar started accepting debris Monday, according to David Thompson, the landfill’s local enforcement agency program manager.

These changes aren’t intended to be permanent. They’re currently set for six months for Calabasas and for 120 days for Sunshine Canyon and Lancaster.

Plans to minimize risk

As part of Phase 2, ash and soil will be removed from affected properties and dumped into trucks.

Public Works outlined how it would minimize dust:

• Debris will first be wetted on site.
• They’ll then be placed into a truck lined with a thick sheet of plastic, which will be wrapped around the contents to seal them inside the vehicle.
• When the debris is dumped at the landfill, they’ll be wetted once again and completely buried using heavy machinery by the end of each day.

Before the materials are packed into the vehicle, surfaces at the site are tested for asbestos by the Army Corp of Engineers. If asbestos is discovered, the debris is then sent to a hazardous waste operation that can handle them, Swenson said.

Once the waste arrives at a landfill, inspectors ensure that paint cans, lithium batteries and other hazardous waste aren’t present.

Locals push back

More than 430 people registered their opposition to the item ahead of the meeting.

“I'm concerned with what is actually in that ash,” said Andrea Provenzale, a resident of Granada Hills, who was previously part of a class action lawsuit against the operator of Sunshine Canyon.

She’s long complained of odors from the facility, saying that she has little faith that the ash will be properly contained and kept on site, especially given that the landfill sits in a particularly windy corridor.

“I just don't think it's healthy for us and for the kids,” she said.

Last week, the city of Calabasas filed lawsuits to stop the Calabasas landfill from being used for the disposal of wildfire debris, citing concerns over whether all hazardous waste will be removed from the ash; that debris is being trucked in by third-party contractors; and that if the material isn’t fully cleaned, it’ll pose serious threats to residential areas near the landfill.

“ I really believe that this is going to impact residents' health in the area for years to come,” said Gina Litinsky of Calabasas.

The Calabasas Landfill accepted debris after the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which destroyed more than 1,600 structures. It took in over 260,000 tons of material over 18 months.