With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
Report on tests for toxics near battery recycler Quemetco delayed
Listen
• 0:54
The Quemetco battery recycling plant.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
State regulators had planned to issue a report last month on the results of tests for toxic metals around the Quemetco battery recycling plant, but now they say the report won’t be ready until March.
Crews have collected soil samples from more than 130 residential properties within a one-quarter mile radius around the City of Industry plant, but they have not finished gathering samples from seven commercial properties in that area, said Jose Diaz, project manager at the Department of Toxic Substances Control.
Getting agreements from commercial properties to gather samples "took longer than anticipated," he said, adding that "the sampling itself is very labor intensive."
Work gathering samples from the remaining commercial properties began on Tuesday and "shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to complete," said Diaz, who noted that rain could delay the work.
Support for LAist comes from
The soil is tested for lead and a number of other potentially harmful materials, including arsenic and cadmium. Toxic Substances Control will then have to finish analyzing the lab results before issuing its report on the concentrations of those metals found around Quemetco. The agency will also announce whether it needs to take soil samples from a wider area.
Quemetco is working closely with Toxic Substances Control to ensure the testing is done "fairly, thoroughly, as completely as possible and as expeditiously as possible," said company spokesman Dan Kramer.
"I’m looking forward to seeing [the report]," said Rebecca Overmyer-Velazquez, coordinator of the Clean Air Coalition of North Whittier and Avocado Heights.
"My optimistic side says that they’re doing a careful job and that they want to make sure that they’ve collected all the relevant data and that they’re going to analyze it thoroughly," she said. "I don’t want them to rush through a report before they’re ready to give us detailed and accurate results."
Overmyer-Velazquez accused Toxic Substances Control last September of not collecting soil samples from a sufficient number of homes in the quarter-mile zone around the plant. On Wednesday, she said that after reviewing maps, she now believes the agency's sampling is "a pretty good representation" of the residential area.
The 2015 closure of the Exide Technologies recycling plant in Vernon left Quemetco as the only facility recycling lead acid batteries west of the Rockies, said Kramer. The majority of the batteries recycled at the plant come from California, with a smaller number from other states or abroad, he said.
Toxic Substances Control is overseeing a massive cleanup operation that ultimately could involve the testing and cleanup of thousands of properties around Exide.
Support for LAist comes from
The state decided to check for contamination around Quemetco partly because of widespread lead contamination attributed to Exide, and partly because Quemetco is seeking permission to renew its hazardous waste permit and increase the number of batteries it recycles.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Immigration raids have caused some U.S. citizens to carry their passports to the store, to school or to work. But what documents to have on you depends on your citizenship. -
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high.
Best of LAist