Chiquita Canyon Community Relief Program

Chiquita Canyon Landfill is experiencing an elevated temperature landfill (ETLF) event or reaction deep underground in an older, inactive portion of the Landfill.  This ETLF event has increased production of landfill gas and liquids at the Landfill, and corresponding odors.

Mitigation is the process of improving or correcting a situation, particularly reversing, or stopping the ETLF and associated odors and related issues.

Chiquita Canyon, LLC has voluntarily created and is funding this Community Relief Program to assist the Landfill’s neighbors by providing funding for the following expenses associated with odor mitigation: temporary relocation, home hardening, and/or increased utility bills.

Funding is currently available for residents of the following neighborhoods: 

•    Val Verde
•    Live Oak
•    Hasley Hills
•    Hillcrest Parkway
•    Hasley Canyon
•    Stevenson Ranch
•    Williams Ranch

The scope of the Community Relief Program is under continuous evaluation. If you believe you are impacted by odors from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill but do not live in an area identified on the map, please fill out the application.  If the scope of the funding changes at a later date, your application will be considered then.

No. You must be a resident of one of the neighborhoods identified above, but you do not need to own your residence in order to qualify for payment. You must provide proof of residency with your application to be eligible for payment. See question 12 for types of proof of residency.

Households can apply for relief payments for expenses related to temporary relocation, home hardening, and increased utility bills associated with odor mitigation. In addition to relief payments, residents may apply to receive air purifier machines or filter replacements.

This is a compensation program intended to assist and compensate residents impacted by the ETLF eventat Chiquita Landfill. Participating in this program does not preclude residents from pursuing any additional remedies available to you.

No. Only households who submit an application will be included in this program, so there is no need to exclude yourself. If you do not want your household to be included in this program, do not apply.

No. This Community Relief Program is different and in addition to Los Angeles County’s Landfill Utility Relief Program. Chiquita previously released $3.5 million in funding to Los Angeles County to be used to fund environmental, educational, and quality life programs, or to fund regional public facilities that serve the Val Verde, Castaic, and other unincorporated areas of the County surrounding the Landfill. Los Angeles County used $2.5 million of those funds to establish the Chiquita Canyon Landfill Utility Relief Program. That Utility Relief Program is accepting applications through March 31, 2024. For more information about the Utility Relief Program please click here. Unlike Los Angeles County’s Utility Relief Program, this Community Relief Program is run by Chiquita. You can apply for funding from both programs if you qualify. 

Landfill gas is a natural byproduct of the decomposition of organic material in landfills. Landfill gas is usually composed of roughly 50 percent methane (the primary component of natural gas), 50 percent carbon dioxide (CO2) and a small amount of non-methane organic compounds. The effect of exposure to landfill gas depends on several factors, including its chemical composition.

The County of Los Angeles has retained an environmental consulting firm to conduct an independent health assessment that evaluates the short- and potential long-term health impacts to nearby residents from exposure to landfill gas created by the odor incident at Chiquita Canyon Landfill. 

The current data and evaluation by experts, including an independent health risk evaluation conducted at the direction of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, show that there are no anticipated long-term health impacts from these odors.  However, the study by the Department of Public Health states, and Chiquita recognizes, that odors may cause short-term health impacts or otherwise affect the quality of life. For a copy of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health study please click here.

In general, the use of flares to manage emissions and gas is a customary practice at landfills. The installation and operation of these flares is subject to extensive review and stringent permitting requirements by both the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure safe and appropriate operations per State and Federal regulations.   For more information on these requirements, you may visit SCAQMD’s website by clicking here or call their Permit Services group at (909) 396-3385.

To be eligible for an air purifier or filter you must file an application and provide proof of residence. Receipts or proof of expenses are not required to qualify. To qualify for more than one air purifier, please include square footage of the affected household. Households of a certain size will be eligible for more than one air purifier. 

If approved, you will be contacted when your air purifier and/or filter is available for pick up with more information on when and where you can pick up your air filter. 
Only one (1) application per household will be accepted. You may list all current residents of your household on your application form. 

You must register and obtain a Unique Household ID prior to applying online. Register your household here. After registering, you may apply online. Applications will open Monday 11, 2024. You may apply online or by printing, filling out, and mailing the application form (accessible here) to the address below

Chiquita Landfill Community Relief
c/o Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Relief Administrator
PO Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

The device being offered is the Vollara Air & Surface Pro, which does not require replacement filters. 

To qualify for more than one air purifier, please submit an application and provide the square footage of your affected home. Square footage will be evaluated compared to the manufacturer specifications and additional devices will be awarded as needed.

To be eligible for payment you must file an application and provide proof of residence. Receipts or proof of expenses are not required to qualify. Payments will be available monthly, and you must submit a certification for each month of continued residency to qualify for additional monthly payments. 

Only one (1) application per household will be accepted. You may list all current residents of your household on your application form. 

You must register and obtain a Unique Household ID prior to applying online. Register your household here. After registering, you may apply online. Applications will open Monday 11, 2024. You may apply online or by printing, filling out, and mailing the application form (accessible here) to the address below:

Chiquita Landfill Community Relief
c/o Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Relief Administrator
PO Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391

To be eligible for payment, you must provide documentation to prove you reside at the affected property. The name of the person applying must match the name on the proof documents. Proof documentation includes but is not limited to:

• Utility bill (gas, electric, cable, etc.)

• Lease agreement

• Credit card/bank statements

• Phone bill

• Insurance policy 

You must include a copy of your document that covers either the current month you are applying for or the prior two months. A driver’s license is not an accepted proof of residence. 

Please only send copies of forms, do not send original documents, as they will not be returned. 

Yes. While it is recommended that you provide your SSN with your application, it is not a requirement to apply.

You must provide your Tax Identification Number (“TIN”) to the Administrator to avoid taxes being withheld from your payment. If you do not provide your TIN to the Administrator and otherwise would be entitled to a payment of $600.00 or more, you will have approximately 24% deducted from your payment to comply with IRS Regulations. 

Please contact a professional tax advisor or other qualified financial counselor with any questions concerning taxes, as we cannot offer tax advice.

To qualify for payment, you must apply or re-certify by the last day of the month for the month you are applying. 

If you have successfully applied and been approved for payment, to receive payment for a subsequent month you must certify that you still reside at the affected property and provide updated proof of residence. Please note, you must submit a NEW certification every month to qualify for additional monthly payments.

Recertification forms must be submitted online or postmarked no later than the last day of the month for which you are recertifying. Your Unique Household ID will be required to access the online form. No late recertification forms will be accepted.

No. The program begins as of March 1, 2024. Months prior to March 2024 will not be eligible for payment. To qualify for a monthly payment, you must submit an application or certification during that month. Late applications/certifications will not be accepted. You must register and obtain a Unique Household ID prior to applying online. Register your household here. After registering, you may apply online. Applications will open Monday 11, 2024. You may apply online or by printing, filling out, and mailing the application form (accessible here).

Payment amounts will not be calculated based on total expenditures, but using a set formula that considers various factors including geographic location and the number of people in the household. 

No. So long as your household’s primary residence remain within the neighborhoods for which compensation is available, relocating does not affect payment. Should the household permanently relocate from the area, payment amounts may be impacted.

No. This program only provides funds that can be used for compensation, not logistical assistance related to relocation. You can apply for compensation from the fund without relocating first.

If approved, your payment will be distributed on a monthly basis. You will need to recertify your information to receive payments each month. See Question 15 above. 

No, only one (1) application per household will be accepted. However, all residents of the household should be included in the application. 

Approved payments will be distributed monthly, and applications may take several weeks to process after being mailed/submitted. Please be patient. You may call (833) 425-8787 or use the Contact page of this website to inquire on the status of your application.