Creating new park lands, natural habitat, and community on top of the historic Puente Hills Landfill.

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History of the Landfill

The Puente Hills Landfill, formerly the second largest in the country, was in operation from 1956 to 2013. Prior to the landfill’s operation, the landscape was one part of a chain of Puente Hills canyons and hills—boasting a living system of grassland, oak-woodland, and coastal sage scrub chaparral habitats.

During the six-decades of landfill development that followed, the San Jose Creek was channelize north of the railroad line. The 2016 Masterplan assessed the landfill development as an irreversible change to the original canyonlands—but pointed to the potentials for create a new layer of landscape that celebrates the site’s natural past.

  • San Gabriel Valley Dump Opens

    The landfill opens as the privately owned and operated “San Gabriel Valley Dump,” growing to become the largest landfill in the United States.

    The landfill drastically alters the landscape of the San Gabriel Valley, filling in an entire back canyon of the nearby Puente Hills to address the waste management needs of a rapidly urbanizing east Los Angeles.

  • Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts Purchases Landfill, Renames to Puente Hills Landfill

    The landfill is purchased by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and is renamed the “Puente Hills Landfill,” a crucial regional disposal facility for the County. The purchase signifies the region’s increasing growth and waste disposal needs. All the while, the San Gabriel Valley grows as an important manufacturing and technology center.

  • Department of Regional Planning and the Sanitation Districts Enter Joint Powers Agreement

    The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning and the Sanitation Districts enter into a Joint Powers Agreement that requires portions of the fill areas to eventually be dedicated for park and recreation purposes after they are no longer needed for landfill operations. This agreement paves the way for the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan.

  • Puente Hills Landfill Grows, Gains Regional Importance

    By the early 1990s, the Puente Hills Landfill becomes visibly identifiable as an artificial mountain—a testament to the massive human footprint from decades of urbanization and waste disposal. Additionally, the landfill gains increasing importance as a critical site for recycling management and energy producing gas capture facilities.

  • Puente Hills Landfill Stops Accepting Waste, Continues Material Recovery Management And Energy Capture

    After 56 years of operation, the Puente Hills Landfill permanently closes on Halloween of 2013.

    Although the landfill no longer accepts waste, the site continues to house critical materials recovery management and energy facilities—including the region’s largest gas-to-energy capture plant, generating enough power for roughly 70,000 homes.

  • Puente Hills Landfill Park Envisions Over 100 Acres of Future Green Space, Unanimously Approved by The Board of Supervisors

    Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, in coordination with the Sanitation Districts, embark on a historic master plan effort to reimagine the Puente Hills Landfill site as Los Angeles County’s first regional park in over 30 years. The Master Plan envisions bringing over 100 acres of future green space to the San Gabriel Valley and beyond.

    On October 25, 2016 the plan is unanimously approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

  • Department of Parks And Recreation Announces Plans For Design And Construction, Hires Studio-MLA to Lead Design and Engagement

    The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation announces plans for the design and construction of the first phase of the Puente Hills Landfill Park Master Plan, with the first areas of the park set to open in 2027.

    The County hires Los Angeles based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning practice Studio-MLA to lead the design and public engagement for the historic new park.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to use the park as a way to connect people to nature and our human impact on the environment”

— Jackson L., El Monte Resident

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