Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks has been forced to spend $150,000 to close a garbage dump on its property next to Griffith Park, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn, whose office prosecuted the mortuary, announced Friday.
The company Thursday was fined $850 and put on 12 months' probation after pleading no contest to violating a section of the municipal code that prohibits unlawful disposal of rubbish on private property.
"As it turned out, this prosecution under a city ordinance, carrying a relatively light fine, forced Forest Lawn to take lengthy and costly remedial actions to correct the problems at the illegal landfill, which they had used for years to dispose of everything from gardening debris to defective coffins," Hahn said.
"The problems at the landfill, which is about 25 feet deep and covers 2 1/2 acres in a ravine, included significant levels of methane gas and the threat of ground-water contamination," Hahn said.
