Enviros Request EPA to Take Over Leak Investigation, Board of Sup’s Declare Local Emergency for Dominguez Channel

LOS ANGELES —The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Nov. 3, has proclaimed a local emergency to enable additional resources under state disaster legislation to respond to the Dominguez Channel Odor Incident. The persistent issue began with reports of foul odors in the area on Oct. 4.

The proclamation, based on a Nov. 2 motion by Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, provides the incident’s multi-agency response team with access to the technical support and financial resources needed to deliver equitable relief to residents and remediate the odor issue.

The proclamation does not change the nature of the incident, which remains a “public nuisance” that must be abated, as directed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The odor is attributed to the low-oxygen decay of organic material in the channel. Microorganisms breaking down the organic matter are producing high levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like “rotten eggs,” in a process called anaerobic digestion. 

   Meanwhile, the Coalition for a Safe Environment, a Wilmington, Calif based environmental justice non profit organization, conducted its own independent investigation into the odor emanating from the Dominguez Channel and is requesting that the federal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA take over the investigation. 

In a released statement, the Coalition expressed incredulity that after four weeks of testing the South Coast AQMD has not been able to find the source of the hydrogen sulfide gas in the Dominguez Channel.

“It is true hydrogen sulfide was found in the Dominguez Channel but it is near impossible for Hydrogen Sulfide to have been created there and in the large quantities still being released every day,” said CFASE director, Jesse Marquez.  “It would take tons and tons of decaying organic matter in one location in a confined area, over a period of time, with little to no oxygen to create Hydrogen Sulfide.” 

The Coalition, at a Nov. 3, press conference, presented three priority proposals focused on sources in the Dominguez Channel, oil refinery as a source and the underground fault shift caused by the Carson earthquake as a source. Marquez discussed the organization’s research and why the U.S. EPA needs to step-in and provide investigation oversight.

The County of Los Angeles has reported the hydrogen sulfide detected in the air fluctuates but remains at levels that are not expected to pose long-term health problems and does not pose an imminent danger to people who have reported experiencing the odor in areas of Carson, West Carson, and portions of Gardena, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Wilmington, Long Beach and neighboring unincorporated communities.

A multi-agency response team, consisting of Los Angeles County’s  departments in Public Works, Public Health, Fire Health HazMat and South the Coast AQMD, regularly reassesses the situation and community mitigation recommendations. That team is working around the clock to monitor and eliminate the odors from the channel and bring much-needed relief to affected communities.

Though the pungent odor event has persisted for nearly four consecutive weeks; however, air quality monitoring by South Coast AQMD and County Fire Health HazMat indicates a downward trend in detectable hydrogen sulfide levels, both within the channel and in surrounding communities. More information on current air monitoring efforts can be found on the South Coast AQMD webpage.

Residents may call the County Helpline at 2-1-1 for more information about the incident, assistance options and reimbursement programs. Online forms are available at: L.A. County Emergency Response (lacounty.gov). There are also community information centers at the Carson Community Center at 801. E. Carson St., in Carson, from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., daily, and at the Wilmington Senior Center, 1371 Eubank Ave., in Wilmington, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily.