Image #1: Description of construction of Sanitary Landfill

Landfills are constructed on carefully selected sites and lined with clay and plastic liners to protect the environment. They are filled daily by trucks hauling garbage (trash) to the site where it is spread out, covered with soil or sand and crushed and compacted with heavy equipment. The soil or sand is sprayed with water to keep the dust controlled.

Image #2: Entrance to Lopez Landfill

It was opened in October, 1975 and closed on July 2, 1996. The property includes 399 acres and the fill area is 166 acres.

Image #3: Catch Basin

The purpose of a catch basin is to keep rainwater run-off from the landfill from entering the street water, gutter water, L.A. river water, or ground water. 7 ground water monitoring wells and 2 lysimeters were and are monitored quarterly. 5 wells and 2 lysimeters and sampled. In 1993, 2 new ground water monitoring wells were installed.

Image #4: Terraces

Trash will be spread on lower level terrace and covered with dirt or sand on a daily basis. Layering will continue until the next level is reached, and then layering will begin on that terrace. Residential pick-up, street sweeping, and construction and demolition remains will be spread on those terraces.

Image #5: Truck Dumping Trash

A maximum of 400 trucks each carrying 10 tons of trash, for a maximum of 4,000 tons of trash, may dump daily. In 1993, the average daily inflow was 270 trucks with 3512 tons of refuse.

Image #6: Spreading Dirt to Cover Trash

3 to 6 inches per layer of dirt is used to cover the trash layer by the end of the day.

Image #7: Same view closer up

500,000 gallons of water per day is used to control the dust from the dirt spreading. Watering occurs between 7:00 A.M. and 5:30 P.M.

Image #8: Looking Toward Commandpost Hut

Commandpost hut, terraces, top of hill, methane gas burning controls, pipes, and tank etc. are all visible from here.

Image #9: Another Section of Terraces

Monitoring consists of monthly sampling, laboratory analyses, and reporting of results of integrated instaneous and ambient air monitoring problems. Staff was voluntarily monitoring ambient air conditions at 4 locations adjacent to the landfill on privately owned property. Samples are being taken during 3 winter months and compared to on-site ambient air monitoring results.

Image #10: Piles of Newly-Dumped Trash

We are 50 to 100 feet away in the van and still no odor and the windows are down. (Most odor come from the decomposition of organic matter. There should not be much organic matter in the trash in the first place because greens are dumped in a different section and collected in separate cans - practically speaking people do not separate trash perfectly. Second, not enough time has lapsed for much decomposition to take place.)

Image #11: Inspectors Checking for Hazardous Waste

Inspector remove household hazardous waste (batteries, paint cans, etc.). Since they know which neighborhood the trash came from, an education campaign will be carried out if an inordinate amount of HHW is found and collected.

Image #12: Truck Getting Ready to Unload

A maximum of 10 tons (20,000 pounds) of trash will be unloaded from this truck.

Image #13: A Closed and Planted Section of Lopez Landfill

Closed areas are planted with native growth and must be maintained for 30 to 50 years.

Image #14: Methane Gas Recovery Section

Steam boiler technology has been initiated. Electrical power could be generated at the facility, but it is cheaper to burn it off. If Cambrian Energy began running the system, it would power 10,000 homes with electricity.

Image #15: Similar View

Gas flare system has a capacity of 8750 cubic feet per minute.

Image #16: Kagel Canyon Side of Landfill

This section has been completely closed, planted and maintained for over 5 years (as of 1994).

Image #17: Trash Truck Leaving the Landfill

Now, of course, there are no more trash trucks. Bradley Landfill (55%) and sunshine (45%) are now receiving the trash that Lopez once did.

Image #18: View to North Leaving Landfill

A litter patrol crew of 5 permanent and 6 temporary employees removed litter from 11 miles of roads surrounding the landfill every weekday while the landfill was open, and will continue to do so during the closing phase.

Image #19: Sign Outside Entrance to Landfill

The address is 11950 Lopez Canyon Road (at the end of Paxton) in Lake View Terrace. Although the landfill has been closed as of July, 1996, field trips can still be taken. Make arrangements by calling (818)834-5123 or (818)834-5128. Turner Johnson and Steve Barret may still be the people to talk to (and maybe not).

Image #20: Sound Barrier Walls

Walls 3,000 feet long and 8 feet high were built along the Blue Star Mobile Home Park and the land fill entry road. Noise monitoring was conducted monthly at 6 locations surrounding the landfill. The sound barrier walls effectively reduced noise levels in adjacent neighborhoods by 3 to 5 decibels

However, these sound barrier walls did nothing to stop the purifying odors of the 1995 rain from permeating the air from miles around. The odorific fumes from the bubbling and boiling leachate pot that the heavy 1995 rains created was the last straw as far as the surrounding neighborhood was concerned. Lopez Landfill was doomed. In July, 1996 it was closed.

Since 25% of L.A. County's and City's environmentally undesirable industries and activities are located in the Northeast section of the San Fernando Valley, the Saga continues.