Time to Close the Lopez Canyon Landfill
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* Let us not be overly impressed by the award to the Lopez Canyon Landfill from the Solid Waste Assn. of America (July 16).
This award was actively sought by the Bureau of Sanitation. We do not know the criteria for the award. We do know that this spring the South Coast Air Quality Management District refused to write a letter of endorsement and that, under political pressure, it withdrew a notice of violation. Meanwhile, just last week, ground water was found only 20 feet under the landfill in direct contact with trash, despite assurances to the contrary over the years.
Perhaps the award should also go to the landfill’s neighbors who have met monthly with the Bureau of Sanitation and continually pressured it to comply with regulations.
It is time to close the Lopez Canyon Landfill in 1996 as promised. It is past time for the city of Los Angeles to take responsibility by seeking alternatives to landfills within populated communities. Allowing Lopez to remain open will just allow the Bureau of Sanitation to seek awards instead of viable alternatives for trash disposal.
KATHARINE PAULL
Kagel Canyon
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