EDITOR'S NOTE: Multimedia journalist Zarina Khairzada spoke with Carson resident Brandi Murdcok about her family's symptoms and relocation due to the stench. Click the arrow above to watch the video.

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued violation notices to Los Angeles County and four companies following a probe into a noxious smell coming from decaying organic material in the Dominguez Channel, the agency announced Friday.

Thousands of residents from Carson, West Carson and portions of Gardena, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Wilmington and Long Beach have reported the noxious rotting-egg-like smell. Many have complained of headaches, burning eyes, nausea and other discomfort.

What You Need To Know

  • The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued violation notices to Los Angeles County and four companies following a probe into a noxious smell coming from decaying organic material in the Dominguez Channel

  • Thousands of residents from Carson, West Carson and portions of Gardena, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Wilmington and Long Beach have reported the noxious rotting-egg-like smell

  • It got so bad that early last month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency and the Department of Public Health conducted door-to-door outreach

  • The Department of Public Works coordinated with multiple experts and spent an estimated $5.4 million on remediation and providing or reimbursing residents for air filters, air purifiers and temporary relocation

In September, two companies — Virgin Scent Inc. doing business as ArtNaturals and Day to Day Imports — stored large quantities of wellness/beauty products at a warehouse located at 16325 S. Avalon Blvd. in Carson. The warehouse is owned by Liberty Properties Limited Partnership and its parent company, Prologis Inc., according to the SCAQMD.

On Sept. 30, a large fire started on the warehouse property, and efforts to extinguish the fire continued over several days. As a result, chemicals contained in the stored products, including ethanol, passed through the sewer system into the local flood control waterway, the Dominguez Channel. This was followed by the anaerobic decay of organic materials in the channel, which caused elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide to be discharged into the air.

Days later, SCAQMD began receiving odor complaints from residents of the Carson area, soon reaching 100 complaints in a single day. Inspectors traced the noxious smell to the Dominguez Channel, which is under county jurisdiction.

The air pollution agency issued notices of violation on Thursday to Los Angeles County and the four companies linked to the warehouse.

Since Oct. 3, inspectors have responded to more than 4,600 odor complaints from residents in Carson, as well as Gardena, Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and Wilmington and other parts of L.A. county, the agency said.

Related Stories

It got so bad that early last month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency and the Department of Public Health conducted door-to-door outreach to more than 8,970 Carson residents, including medically fragile individuals. In addition, the Department of Public Works coordinated with multiple experts and spent an estimated $5.4 million on remediation and providing or reimbursing residents for air filters, air purifiers and temporary relocation.

SCAQMD violation notices can result in civil penalties. In some cases, the company or entity can choose to implement voluntary measures to reduce emissions or otherwise prevent further violations. If no settlement is reached, a civil lawsuit may ultimately be filed in Superior Court, according to the SCAQMD.

Prologis Inc. statement:

The Notice of Violations were issued not only to the operator at the site, but to everyone connected to the property, including the County of Los Angeles. We have been and will continue to work with the Los Angeles County Fire Department in safeguarding the property against storm water runoff and cleaning up the fire debris. The AQMD notices do not include any corrective actions for Prologis to take. Similar to our partnership with the LA County Fire Department, we will proactively work with the District to address any concerns.

Statement from Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella:

The County of Los Angeles has been working closely with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and other state and federal regulatory agencies to investigate the conditions that resulted in the Dominguez Channel Odor Incident. We are glad to see that the parties who are responsible for the anaerobic conditions that led to the release of hydrogen sulfide gas within the channel are being held accountable.

On Nov. 12, the County issued a legal notice to Prologis Inc. and Liberty Properties, LP, the owners and lessors of a property located at 16325 S. Avalon Blvd. in Carson. Both companies were named in South Coast AQMD’s Dec. 2 Notice of Violation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include the statements from Prologis Inc. and LA County. (Dec. 4, 2021.)