About 43 residents and workers in Avenal, California, have sued the owner and operator of the Avenal Regional Landfill, alleging that toxic gases and odors from the site have damaged their health and homes. The suit comes weeks after an environmental justice network published state records it says show signs of a subsurface fire at the dump.
The plaintiffs filed the federal suit Sept. 25 against Waste Connections US Inc. and Madera Disposal Systems Inc., according to news coverage of the lawsuit. The 23-page complaint accuses the operators of negligence, private nuisance and negligence per se. It seeks damages for alleged injuries and property losses, medical monitoring and an injunction that could force cleanup or a permanent closure of the landfill.
Where the landfill sits
The 173-acre landfill is in the northern part of Avenal, surrounded by neighborhoods, schools, parks and businesses. The complaint says it is 500 feet from the nearest home and that the entire community of roughly 14,000 people lives within 1.5 miles of it, FOX26 reported.
The site was used for waste disposal by Standard Oil in 1929. Avenal later took over the operation and handed day-to-day management to Madera Disposal in 2002. Waste Connections later took over the operation.
What residents say
“The noxious odors and toxic gases made living conditions around the landfill unbearable,” the plaintiffs allege in the complaint. They describe persistent odors and gases from landfill gas and leachate that have caused headaches, nosebleeds, breathing problems, dizziness, difficulty concentrating and heart problems.
The suit says some residents have been forced to stay inside their homes, give up using their yards and keep doors and windows shut even when the weather would normally call for fresh air. Residents say they worry that even short trips outside, including mowing the lawn, could expose their families to “toxic chemicals with unknown short- and long-term health effects,” according to the complaint. Some say they worried about letting their children play outside or go to school. Others say the odors have embarrassed them about inviting guests over and have hurt the value of their properties.
The regulatory record
The complaint points to a long trail of regulatory complaints. The Kings County Local Enforcement Agency investigated odor complaints on dozens of occasions between 2020 and August 2026, according to the complaint. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District also investigated hundreds of complaints over several years, many involving odors, dust or open burning. The suit says California air regulators detected landfill-related odors during multiple surveillance operations and that federal and state agencies have investigated elevated temperatures and gas emissions at the site.
CalRecycle reportedly found landfill gas readings above 145 degrees Fahrenheit since 2024, with some measurements topping 160 degrees. The complaint says carbon monoxide readings in several wells reached as high as 3,420 parts per million.
The Central California Environmental Justice Network published public records it obtained on Sept. 12. The group said CalRecycle notes that surface temperatures above 145 degrees may indicate a subsurface fire and that carbon monoxide concentrations above 1,500 parts per million strongly suggest one. It said carbon monoxide levels that were once below 100 parts per million now average over 900, with recent highs of 1,490, 1,500, 2,570 and 3,420 in four wells. It also said methane concentrations that were historically 30 to 50 percent have dropped to the low single digits and mid-20s, and that concentrations below 15 percent can signal a subsurface fire.
The network sent regulators a letter asking for a multi-agency emergency response team, immediate air and leachate testing for benzene and other hazardous contaminants, measurement of down-well temperatures and a community meeting within days. Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said Avenal needs a coordinated response from local, regional and state agencies to stop the landfill from becoming “the next environmental catastrophe like Chiquita Canyon near Castaic.”
A town in political turmoil
The suit lands as Avenal is also in a separate political fight. Four of the city’s five council members, Mayor Alvaro Preciado and council members Leticia Gamez, Pablo Hernandez and David Reynosa, were recalled by voters in April after a campaign that included concerns over the city’s fire department and transparency. A Kings County Superior Court judge ruled in August that they had unlawfully remained in office after the recall was certified.
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