Paramount officials disclose Cr6 spike in air samples, press South Coast AQMD for follow-up
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Summary
City staff and consultants reported a large spike of hexavalent chromium on Jan. 26 but said it did not meet AQMD’s three‑consecutive‑sample threshold; AQMD has issued Notices of Violation to some sites and an investigation remains open.
Paramount — City and contractor representatives told the City Council on Feb. 10 that air monitors in Paramount recorded a significant spike of hexavalent chromium (Cr6) late last month and that local staff are coordinating with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).
Randall Baxter of Trinity Consultants, who gave the quarterly air‑monitoring update, said the Jan. 26 24‑hour sample measured an exceedance roughly 10 times the AQMD screening criterion. “That exceedance was 10 times the criteria,” Baxter said during the presentation. He explained that AQMD considers a pattern of three consecutive 24‑hour samples above 1 nanogram per sample to be evidence of elevated concentrations warranting a formal district investigation. In this case, Baxter said, a Jan. 20 sample fell about 0.03 nanograms below that 1‑ng threshold, so the three‑sample standard was not triggered automatically.
Despite that technical threshold, Baxter and city planning staff said they had notified AQMD and asked the district to take a closer look. City staff also reported that AQMD has issued Notices of Violation to some businesses and that the city’s planning and code‑enforcement teams have visited affected facilities.
“Those are the two sites that South Coast actually found NOVs at,” Baxter said when identifying the locations tied to earlier notices. City staff said they are pursuing additional meetings with AQMD divisions — permitting, enforcement, legal and public affairs — to press for a comprehensive update on the ongoing investigation.
What the monitoring means: the city stressed that single 24‑hour exceedances are a signal for further review rather than a standalone determination of long‑term public health risk. Baxter described the network and sampling cadence: six samplers located at City Hall, Minnesota/Madison (industrial area), Wesley Gaines Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Vermont Avenue and Garfield/Jackson, running on a six‑day EPA schedule that collects 24‑hour samples.
What’s next: staff said they will continue to post raw results online at paramountenvironment.org/air and will escalate information to AQMD. City planning staff also said they would work to ensure AQMD’s investigation receives the appropriate technical attention and would return to council with updates as available.
Why it matters: hexavalent chromium is a pollutant of concern in industrial areas because of its toxicity at higher exposures. The city emphasized transparency, posting results as received and coordinating with state and regional regulators to identify causes and remedies. No regulatory finding of a sustained breach has been posted by AQMD in the council presentation; AQMD’s enforcement and investigatory processes remain in progress.
