SIGNIFICANT TECHNICAL + POLITICAL CHALLENGES Ongoing environmental control systems such as groundwater quality protection systems, landfill-gas recovery systems, the final cover, surface water drainage systems, and fire control measures will continue to operate and will be carefully monitored.
landfill gas collection network
The Puente Hills Park Masterplan process included unprecedented community engagement and outreach to the many diverse communities who will be served by the park.
The gas-to-energy plant offers a unique symbol of the park through creative reuse. Situated on an older portion of the landfill, the tower and new simple structures make a memorable perch with extraordinary views to the city below. [image by Lehrer Architects]
Vast and highly constructed, the landfill is a uniquely blended ecology immersing visitors in rich habitat, dramatic flora and fauna, nature education programs, trails, scenic overlooks, and a plethora of distinctive, novel species adapted to the landfill conditions.
Strategic plantings provide ecological richness and wildlife habitat. Winding trails connect to the regional 30 mile Schabarum-Skyline trail extending to the San Gabriel River.
The landfill is uniquely situated at the western end of the Puente-Chino Hills wildlife corridor and adjacent to the Habitat Authority. Portions of the site lie within the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning designated “Significant Ecological Area” connecting Chino Hills to the San Gabriel River.
The landfill’s innovative history of sustainability is continued through gas to energy conversion, recycle and reuse, waste stream reduction, and environmental stewardship strategies.
Education and interpretation of the landfill, waste stream, gas to energy conversion, history of the site, impacts of waste around the world, resource depletion, and novel ecologies will serve as primary interpretive themes for the park.
The 28 acre southern deck trails offer quiet solitude and a strong connection with the Schabarum-Skyline Trail.
The masterplan envisions three major phases of development over the next 30 years plus two more phases that will be re-evaluated in 2043. The ever-changing parklands must be safe and secure during a lifetime of transition that may take 50 to 75 years.
Three overarching park themes define the spirit of the Puente Hills Landfill Park Masterplan. These three concepts embrace the complexity and beauty of a vast piece of infrastructure primed for a new adapted future.
Los Angeles County, California Visioning + Masterplan 2015 - 2016
puente hills landfill park
Rising five hundred feet out of the earth and sprawling over 1300 acres, the Puente Hills Landfill stands as our country’s second largest landfill. Opened in 1957 Puente Hills received rubbish from Los Angeles County for over fifty years, closing permanently in 2013. The Puente Hills Landfill Park Masterplan outlines the adaptation of this massive piece of infrastructure into much-needed public space. Not only will the landfill continue to a.) carefully store over 130 million tons of waste, b.) transform captured methane into electricity, and c.) detain destructive leachate, but this gigantic landmass has now been charged to d.) host a thriving collection of novel ecologies and e.) provide areas for public recreation. Meanwhile, a substantial portion of the top deck is projected to subside over 125 feet vertically within the next 30 years. The design team assembled 12 park objectives that will guide the adaptable masterplan framework. Rather than a masterplan that prescribes the form of the project, this flexible framework provides design direction that revels in the continual fluctuation of this shifting terrain.
Collaboration with Lead Landscape: Withers & Sandgren Environmental: ECORP Consulting, Inc. Planning: AMEC Foster Wheeler Geotechnical: Ninyo & Moore Transportation: Fehr & Peers Air & Noise: Kunzman Associates, Inc. Engineering: PACE Outreach: Arellano Associates, Day One and VPE
![The gas-to-energy plant offers a unique symbol of the park through creative reuse. Situated on an older portion of the landfill, the tower and new simple structures make a memorable perch with extraordinary views to the city below. [image by Lehrer Architects]](https://www.hillworks.us/funstuff/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/puente08-1832x1280.jpg)
