The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to open a site to process Eaton fire debris near L.A. County’s foothill communities has prompted swift backlash from local leaders alarmed by the prospect of toxic waste in their backyard.
On Monday, the cities of Duarte, Azusa, Irwindale and Baldwin Park announced their joint opposition to the EPA’s plans to use Lario Park as the destination for hazardous household debris from the fire, including lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The site is at 15701 E. Foothill Blvd. in an unincorporated area of the county adjacent to the four cities and is slated to begin receiving debris early next week.
Leaders said they were upset about the potential dangers posed to residents as well as the fact that they were not consulted in the decision.
“We are extremely disappointed with the lack of respect to our local residents for not being notified of the EPA’s cleanup efforts and having toxic materials transported to our backyards,” city leaders said in a joint statement.
The EPA designated Lario Park as a processing site on Thursday and has already prepared the site to begin accepting waste, according to federal officials. Measures have been taken to control spills around the areas where debris will be processed, they said.
Once the site is open, debris will be brought in daily, processed into various waste streams, packaged for shipment and sent out to be disposed, according to federal officials.
A similar processing site for Palisades fire debris is planned for a six-acre parcel of land east of Pacific Coast Highway near Topanga Canyon, according to EPA coordinator Tara Fitzgerald.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the foothill communities, said she was deeply concerned by the health and environmental risks that could be posed by the Lario Park site.
“The potential risks associated with hazardous materials, particularly lithium electric vehicle batteries, which are highly flammable and pose environmental contamination risks, are a matter of significant concern,” she said in a statement. “The removal of these materials should not come at the cost of creating a toxic environment for communities already disproportionately impacted by pollution.”
The EPA said it would take steps to ensure safety at the site. Those include air quality monitoring, the use of a water truck to suppress dust and emissions, and continued environmental testing of the site after it closes.
Trucks transporting waste will use back roads by the fire area to access Lario Park and will not travel along the 210 Freeway. Once the material is processed, trucks approved by the state Department of Transportation will be used to transport materials to permanent disposal facilities.
The four foothill cities are working with the office of California state Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) to host a town hall in Duarte where residents can voice their concerns.
Solis said she visited Lario Park on Monday morning with Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Covina) and local leaders to raise “critical questions” with EPA representatives.
“As we continue to learn more about the operations’ plans,” she said, “I urge our federal agencies to keep constituents well-informed and mitigate these impacts on our communities.”
The parcel of land is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which alongside the EPA is responsible for its day-to-day operations.
City News Service and Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
