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City reports recent odor complaints and staffing gaps at Hyperion plant; staff outlines interim measures
Summary
City staff told the council that AQMD recorded seven odor complaints in two weeks, the city has not received notices of violation, and the Hyperion treatment plant remains short of a permanent plant manager; interim measures and third‑party monitoring were reported.
City staff updated the El Segundo City Council on June 17 about recent conditions and staffing at the Hyperion wastewater treatment facility after residents raised ongoing odor concerns.
The city manager reported that over the past two weeks the South Coast Air Quality Management District received seven odor complaints; staff said no notices of violation were issued. The manager described scheduled electrical maintenance and upcoming fence‑line monitoring audits that will temporarily take monitoring stations offline for about four hours on two days. City staff also said there will be additional electrical maintenance that may cause outages at portions of the facility.
Councilmembers asked about the plant manager vacancy. Staff said Hyperion is still recruiting and has not filled the general manager/plant manager role; the acting plant manager (Haiseng) has served in an interim capacity for about a year and consultants, including a previously employed plant manager and third‑party firms, have been retained to supplement operations. Staff said the city expects a written list of interim measures from Hyperion management and that Heal the Bay was hired as an independent environmental reviewer to consult on operations.
Council discussion touched on the limits of withholding payment under the existing agreement and the expectation of a closed‑session report on July 1 with further details. No contract termination or payment withholding action was taken at the June 17 meeting.
