Is there a facility like the Garden Grove chemical tank near you? How to find out

What could have been a catastrophic toxic disaster was narrowly avoided in Garden Grove thanks to the quick work of first responders, cool weather and some luck.

But the chemical tank mishap at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility is another reminder that many potentially dangerous facilities are right next door to neighborhoods in Southern California. If you needed further reminders, the Sandy Fire in Ventura County was recently burning near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, where decades-old nuclear and toxic waste still worry residents. And an oil pipeline in East L.A. also ruptured recently, sending crude into nearby streets and the L.A. River. The Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, the site of a massive leak near Porter Ranch a decade ago, still houses vast quantities of methane.

For Deborah Morris-Quintero, who lives less than a mile from GKN’s Garden Grove facility and had to evacuate, there are still many open questions.

“ Any city that's got anything that could potentially impact the citizens and the environment, the cities really need to make these plants accountable,” she said outside a community meeting Tuesday in Garden Grove. “They need to take steps to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen again. They need to be proactive.”

If you want to be proactive on this topic, you can attend meetings, contact regulators and take note of potentially hazardous sites near you. Here’s a quick guide on how to watchdog your local industrial facility.

Who regulates the facility? 

A hodgepodge of local, state and federal regulators are tasked with overseeing companies like GKN Aerospace. Most of these agencies are understaffed and rely on self-reporting by the companies themselves, or complaints from nearby residents. (See some previous reporting from LAist on this issue here and here.)

When logging a concern, first identify what the issue you’re worried about is. Is it air pollution? A bad smell? Water contamination? Hazardous waste?

Different agencies oversee different types of pollution, so multiple complaints may be required. And, without risking your safety, try to document the issue you’re observing with a photo or video.

• At a local level, the South Coast Air Quality Management District regulates air pollution across the region, but they have just one inspector for every 200 industrial sites, according to the Voice of O.C. You can search for violations by facility through the agency’s public search tool here. You can report any concerns about strong odors, excessive dust, smoke or other air pollutants here. Find LAist’s in-depth guide on reporting air pollution concerns here. 
• Local fire departments are tasked with inspecting facilities that could cause a fire. In Orange County, for example, the Orange County Fire Authority does “periodic inspections” of “facilities using or storing hazardous materials,” according to their website. For ongoing concerns about the chemical tank situation in Garden Grove, the public can call OCFA at (714) 628-7085. 
• You can search for violations by various types of regulated facilities across the state using this map from the California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA. GKN Aerospace, for example, has dozens of violations logged there. You can also file a complaint with CalEPA here or to the federal EPA directly here. 
• The California Department of Toxic Substances Control regulates hazardous waste sites. You can use their tool, EnviroStor, to search for public information about hazardous sites near you. 
• The California Geologic Energy Management Division oversees oil and gas facilities across the state. You can search for wells near you via their searchable map here. L.A. County also has its own searchable map for oil and gas wells here.