State Orders Cleanup of Long-Contaminated Hazardous Waste Site Near South L.A. Homes

California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control has mandated remediation of a long-abandoned hazardous-waste site in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles, citing a “major source of contamination” that could endanger public health. The property at 5701 Compton Avenue, once operated by Four Star Chemical and American Labs in the late 1970s and 1980s, was found in 2001 to contain perchloroethylene concentrations up to 6,658 µg/L and other volatile compounds down to 150 feet below the surface.

Residents, including longtime neighbor Barry Jenkins, have reported chemical odors emanating from the fenced-off area, which sits roughly 100 feet from homes and near Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park. Current owner Rhine signed an agreement in June to perform on-site and off-site groundwater and soil investigations and to develop a cleanup plan, acknowledging the inherited liability. State officials say the investigation could reveal vapor-intrusion risks for structures within 100 feet, but no homes have been tested so far, and any required actions could be expensive and span several years.