A letter Thursday from the state’s Office of Emergency Services brought little comfort to residents or the elected officials working on the environmental crisis in Castaic stemming from Chiquita Canyon Landfill.   For more than a year, the landfill has prompted thousands of complaints per month from residents who say they’ve been sickened by the smells caused by rotting trash, landfill gases and leachate, a chemical produced when rainwater and other landfill liquids are filtered through those substances.  The problems are believed to be associated with a subsurface reaction that’s been recorded at around 250 degrees, which is also associated with a settlement issue at the landfill, according to officials.  But the state indicated Thursday that the situation did not qualify as an emergency.  Under the Emergency Services Act, there are no state laws to suspend that impede the response and there are no new resources that would be deployed from such a call, according to the OES letter.  The decision left residents calling for a protest ahead of a Chiquita Canyon Landfill Community Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Monday at Castaic Middle School.  Most troubling for residents is the concerns alleged over a potential cancer cluster that prompted 5th District LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger to request a county Public Health study.   She issued a pair of statements Friday in response to the latest developments, regarding the governor’s response and also a community health survey planned to launch Monday.  “Community feedback is vital to determining if the odor mitigation work to stop the terrible odors coming from Chiquita Canyon Landfill actually make a difference,” Barger said in a news release. “It’s important for residents to feel heard and that their health and well-being continue being prioritized.”    She said the state’s decision not to declare a state of emergency was consistent with what the state has been telling county officials.   “As a responsible law maker, I’m well aware that both state and county governments are bound by strict laws that dictate why, how and when emergencies are declared,” she added.  The root causes of the problems at the facility remain unknown.   While significant questions remain, Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, said she met with representatives from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration Friday to try to elevate residents’ concerns and explain what she described as a disconnect between the public and the official response.  “While agencies may have what they need to be able to respond fully, the community members are not getting the support and assistance that they need, and that’s what I’m really concerned about right now,” Schiavo said, adding she was hopeful about the office’s reaction.   Schiavo described the reaction from L.A. County Public Health to date as “incredibly passive,” saying more than “monitoring and logging” needs to be done.  Ahead of a community meeting 6 p.m. Monday at Castaic Middle School in which Barger, Schiavo and Garcia are expected to attend, Barger announced a “community odor and health impact assessment aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the onsite odor mitigation efforts at Chiquita Canyon Landfill,” according to her release.   Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health will administer the health survey, which will be called “Community Experiences: Survey on Odors and Health Impacts near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill Incident.”   The statement also indicated Waste Connections, which owns the landfill, is expected to finish implementing a geomembrane cover by early November.   Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, who co-signed a letter with Schiavo asking the state for the emergency declaration, shared similar disappointment in his response. He reiterated his concern and the need for the declaration.  He’s written legislation to address the concerns facing residents living on a fixed income who could lose other federal benefits if they accept “income” from the landfill in the form of relief payments.  In order for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be able to authorize disaster assistance that’s not taxable, the local and state emergencies need to be declared.    “The situation at Chiquita Canyon Landfill is unacceptable and has gone on for far too long. With over 24,000 complaints and growing health concerns from toxic fumes spreading throughout SCV, our community deserves immediate action — not delays or excuses,” Garcia said in a written statement.    “Their argument that this step isn’t necessary couldn’t be further from the truth,” he added. “In order for a case to be made for a federal declaration of emergency, I need the county and the state to do their part in recognizing the severity of this issue and how much residents are suffering.”  One of the more frustrating facets of the situation for residents is the uncertainty surrounding the nature of the problem and the timeline for when it might be resolved as opposed to mitigated.  “There is no definitive answer,” according to an email from Michael Brogan, spokesman for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the lead organization for a pair of joint county, state and federal task forces working on the landfill’s issues. “Regarding control, we believe that the work performed by the (joint task force) marked important and significant steps towards achieving the goal of controlling the reaction.”  The community meeting begins at 6 p.m. Monday at Castaic Middle School, which is at 28900 Hillcrest Parkway.   The post County, state, feds remain conflicted on landfill ahead of community meeting  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.