Residents who may have been affected by contamination of the now-shuttered Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon will be receiving new resources as part of a city effort, officials announced.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti along with other elected officials and representatives from the Department of Toxic Substances Control visited Boyle Heights Saturday morning to sponsor a community resource fair and encourage residents to sign up to have their properties tested for lead contamination.
"We have no time to waste. No one should have to live in fear of serious health risks from their own home and no child should be robbed of the joy of playing outside in their community," said Mayor Garcetti. "My office will do everything possible to help the DTSC expedite the Exide cleanup and restore peace of mind for the residents of Boyle Heights."
The County Department of Public Health also offered free on-site blood testing at the event and more than 200 volunteers canvassed the neighborhood to collect access agreements that will allow DTSC to conduct soil testing.
L.A.'s Bureau of Sanitation is joining DTSC in testing soil samples gathered in Boyle Heights, and will also sample and test water and green waste to monitor contamination levels, city officials said. Once the testing is complete, the City's Bureau of Street Services, the Bureau of Engineering and the Department of Building services will expedite permit processing and waive related fees so that cleanup can begin as soon as possible.
Last month, California Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a $176.6 million plan to expedite and expand testing and cleanup of homes, schools, daycares and parks near the plant. The testing would be done in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Commerce, Bell, Huntington Park and Maywood.
The lead-acid battery recycling plant agreed to permanently close last March, and pay $50 million for cleanup of the site and surrounding neighborhoods.
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The plant, which produced a host of hazardous wastes, including lead, arsenic and benzene, operated for 33 years without a permanent permit.
Since detecting lead contamination in the soil of homes near Exide two years ago, efforts to upgrade the equipment and safety procedures repeatedly failed to meet environmental standards. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control has also conducted a number of tests and cleanups.
Residents can access resources at a drop-in center at the Benjamin Franklin Library located at 2200 East 1st Street (map). The center will be open from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm on March 19, April 2, and April 9 and will have staff available to answer questions, receive access agreement forms from residents and conduct blood testing.
For more information, visit exidecleanup.lacity.org.
