CHIQUITA CANYON LANDFILL • CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA
Were You Affected by the Chiquita Canyon Landfill?
What Is Happening at Chiquita Canyon Landfill?
HBK Lawyers Is Reviewing Potential Chiquita Canyon Landfill Claims
Chiquita Canyon Landfill is a 639-acre landfill in Castaic, California, in the Santa Clarita Valley. The facility is affiliated with Waste Connections, Inc. and stopped accepting waste on January 1, 2025, while management and regulators continue addressing conditions associated with an underground elevated-temperature landfill reaction.
Beginning in 2023, South Coast AQMD traced thousands of odor complaints from nearby communities to the landfill and identified increased landfill-gas emissions, leachate problems, and odors associated with the underground reaction. By 2025, the agency reported more than 30,000 odor complaints and approximately 355 Notices of Violation. In May 2026, Los Angeles County Public Health also prevailed in requiring installation of a thick geomembrane cover as part of ongoing odor-mitigation measures.
Numerous civil lawsuits have been filed against Chiquita Canyon and Waste Connections-related entities. The litigation includes allegations involving nuisance odors, interference with the use and enjoyment of homes, physical symptoms, property impacts, relocation expenses, and other claimed losses. These allegations remain subject to litigation and should not be treated as established facts. HBK Lawyers is reviewing potential claims involving people who may have been affected by conditions associated with the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
WERE YOU AFFECTED?
You may want to speak with an attorney if you experienced any of the following while living near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
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PERSISTENT LANDFILL ODORS
You experienced repeated or severe odors at your home or in your neighborhood.
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LOSS OF USE OR ENJOYMENT OF YOUR HOME
Odors interfered with your ability to comfortably use your home, yard, or outdoor spaces.
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PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
You experienced headaches, nausea, respiratory irritation, or other symptoms during odor events.
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PROPERTY VALUE CONCERNS
You believe conditions associated with the landfill may have affected the value or desirability of your home.
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TEMPORARY RELOCATION OR DISPLACEMENT
You temporarily stayed elsewhere or relocated because of odors or other conditions associated with the landfill.
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ADDED HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES
You spent money trying to reduce, avoid, or respond to persistent odors or related conditions.
Find Out If You May Have a Claim
If you have been affected by persistent odors or other conditions associated with the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, tell us what happened. HBK Lawyers can review your information and help you understand what legal options may be available.
If You Were Affected, Start Keeping Records
You do not need to have every document collected before contacting HBK Lawyers. But keeping records now can help preserve important details about odors, complaints, household impacts, relocation, expenses, and other conditions you experienced near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
Odor Log
Write down the date, time, location, duration, and severity of odor events while the details are still fresh. Note whether the odor affected your ability to use your home, yard, or outdoor spaces.
AQMD & Agency Complaints
Save complaint numbers, confirmations, emails, notices, reports, and other records from South Coast AQMD, Los Angeles County, or other agencies concerning odors or conditions associated with the landfill.
Home & Property Records
Keep photographs, videos, property records, appraisals, repair or maintenance records, and other documents that may help show conditions at your home or changes affecting its use or value.
Medical & Symptom Records
Save medical records, visit summaries, prescriptions, receipts, and notes showing when you or members of your household experienced symptoms during or around odor events.
Relocation & Household Expenses
Keep receipts, invoices, reimbursement records, and assistance documents related to temporary lodging, air filters, air purifiers, increased utility costs, home mitigation measures, or other out-of-pocket expenses.
A Simple Timeline
Write down important dates while they are still fresh, including odor events, symptoms, agency complaints, temporary relocation, household disruptions, property concerns, and major expenses.
Keep original records when possible, save digital copies in a secure location, and continue documenting new odor events, expenses, relocation issues, or other related impacts as they occur.
UNDERSTANDING POTENTIAL LOSSES
How the Chiquita Canyon Landfill May Have Affected You
The impacts associated with ongoing conditions at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill may extend beyond persistent odors. South Coast AQMD has documented repeated odor complaints affecting nearby communities, while current litigation alleges interference with the use of homes, physical symptoms, property-value impacts, relocation expenses, and other losses.
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Loss of Enjoyment of Home Use
Repeated odor events may interfere with how residents use and enjoy their homes, yards, and other outdoor spaces.
- Inability to comfortably use a home, yard, patio, or outdoor area
- Keeping windows or doors closed because of persistent odors
- Disruption of normal household or outdoor activities
- Other documented interference with the use or enjoyment of a home
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Impact to Your Health
Residents have reported physical symptoms during odor events. Whether particular symptoms are related to landfill conditions depends on the individual circumstances.
- Headaches, nausea, or respiratory irritation
- Other symptoms reported during or around odor events
- Medical visits or evaluations
- Prescriptions and other documented health-related expenses
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Loss of Value of Home
Current litigation includes allegations that conditions associated with the landfill have affected the desirability or value of residential property.
- Concerns about changes in a home’s market value
- Concerns about the desirability of residential property
- Appraisals or other property-value records
- Other documented property-related impacts or concerns
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Relocation & Household Costs
Some households have temporarily relocated or incurred additional expenses while trying to reduce or avoid landfill-related conditions.
- Temporary lodging or relocation expenses
- Air filters, air purifiers, or HVAC service
- Increased utility or home-mitigation costs
- Other documented out-of-pocket household expenses
Every Situation Is Different
The type and extent of a potential claim will depend on where you lived, the conditions you experienced, how often they occurred, whether you temporarily relocated, and any resulting impacts or expenses. HBK Lawyers can review your circumstances and the records you have available.
Frequently Asked Questions
People who lived in communities near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill and experienced persistent odors, interference with the use or enjoyment of their homes, physical symptoms, temporary relocation, property concerns, or other related impacts may have a potential claim. Homeowners and renters may both have relevant claims depending on their individual circumstances, where they lived, and the impacts they experienced.
Not necessarily. Potential claims may involve more than physical injury. Depending on the circumstances, issues such as persistent odors, interference with the use or enjoyment of a home, temporary relocation, property-related concerns, household expenses, or other documented impacts may also be relevant.
Regulators have identified a subsurface reaction in an inactive portion of the landfill that has produced elevated temperatures, increased landfill gases, and increased leachate. South Coast AQMD and Los Angeles County have reported that these conditions have contributed to repeated unpleasant odors affecting surrounding communities.
There is not one publicly established distance that automatically determines whether someone has a potential legal claim. Regulators have received odor complaints from communities surrounding the landfill, including Val Verde, Hasley Canyon, Hillcrest, Williams Ranch, North Bluffs, Hasley Hills, and Live Oak. Whether you may have a potential claim depends on factors such as where and when you lived, the conditions you experienced, and any resulting impacts.
Potentially, yes. Temporarily relocating or later moving away does not necessarily mean that earlier impacts are irrelevant. Temporary relocation has been one of the measures used to assist residents affected by odor conditions near the landfill, and HBK Lawyers can review where you lived, when you lived there, the conditions you experienced, and any relocation or other expenses you incurred.
HBK Lawyers handles these matters on a contingency-fee basis. Attorney’s fees are contingent upon a recovery. HBK Lawyers advances litigation costs. If there is no recovery on your behalf, you owe no attorney’s fees and no repayment of costs advanced.
Submitting your information allows HBK Lawyers to review the circumstances of your situation and the losses you experienced. The firm may contact you for additional information or documents if needed.
Submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. An attorney-client relationship is formed only after you and HBK Lawyers enter into a written agreement.