Following the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) March 16 hearing to consider potential modifications to Aerocraft Heat Treating Company’s stipulated order for abatement, Aerocraft approached the City regarding the construction of new scaffolding in order to install its own air quality monitor above the height of a newly constructed wall. During the hearing, the company had argued that the monitors owned and operated by SCAQMD could not reliably collect readings of hexavalent chromium due to the way that they are manufactured. The company has been placed in curtailment four times to date; the curtailments stem from SCAQMD monitors showing a three-day average that exceeds the agreed-upon 1 nanogram per cubic meter (ng/m3) threshold.
In order to prevent future curtailments and ensure that its emissions are correctly registered, Aerocraft has requested permission to build a temporary scaffold structure in the public right-of -way on the outside of its facility. This scaffolding will provide a space for both Aerocraft’s own air quality monitor as well as a monitor from SCAQMD, allowing the results for the two samplers to be better compared with each other.
The City of Paramount has followed this issue closely and is working with the facility in the implementation of its new project. Currently, all metal-related businesses are under the effect of a moratorium that prevents any new businesses from applying for City licenses and permits. Additionally, under the moratorium, existing businesses are prohibited from any expansion. However, due to Aerocraft’s scaffolding being built for the end-purpose of mitigating emissions, the City plans to expedite the permitting process.
City staff are currently reviewing the company’s submitted application for an encroachment permit; Aerocraft has requested permission to construct scaffolding at a greater height than what it had originally submitted. Though the company has cooperated fully with the City, the City’s review of the application may take another one to two weeks. This will help to ensure that the safety of the public nearby is maintained while the temporary scaffolding is erected.
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