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Paramount planning commission approves Castle Metals expansion with conditions on air quality and wastewater
Summary
The commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit allowing Castle Metals to add chemical milling at 14001 Orange Avenue, subject to conditions including SCAQMD permitting and a requirement to obtain any needed Los Angeles County Sanitation District industrial wastewater permit.
The Paramount Planning Commission on July 1 voted 4‑0 to approve Conditional Use Permit 1001 (Resolution PC26021), allowing Castle Metals to expand precision metal cutting and polishing operations into additional space at 14001 Orange Avenue and to add a chemical milling process, subject to conditions that address air emissions, containment and wastewater.
Staff described the 246,878‑square‑foot facility and said Castle Metals currently employs about 30 people in Paramount and expects to add roughly three employees. The city’s consultant estimated a modest traffic increase: about 10 truck round trips per day, a net increase of two from current operations. “They’re estimating a total of 10 truck round trips per day,” staff stated. Staff also summarized mitigation and equipment controls: two 1,400‑gallon chemical milling tanks, a fiberglass neutralization tank (approximately 2,400 gallons), a scrubber to treat emissions, an evaporator, a filter press, a rinse tank, a gantry crane, and secondary containment.
Staff emphasized the project is regulated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District and fire department/CUPA requirements. “No acid manufacturing would take place on the property as part of this process at all,” staff said, describing how scrubbers and neutralization steps would be used before exhaust is discharged to the roof. The staff report included a specific condition (Condition 9) that lists and limits the permitted chemical‑milling equipment unless superseded by more restrictive SCAQMD requirements.
Staff also read and incorporated an emailed comment from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts into the record and into Condition 27. The district’s letter notes the project may require an industrial wastewater discharge permit; if required, the applicant must forward final plans and supporting information to the district for review and provide the planning department a written determination and a copy of any required permit before beginning construction.
Commissioners raised questions about fencing and theft risk near the Los Angeles River and a commissioner expressed concern about hydrofluoric acid; other commissioners and staff noted that containment, SCAQMD permits and fire/CUPA oversight are central to managing hazards. The public hearing produced no public testimony at the meeting.
The commission adopted Resolution PC26021 by roll‑call vote; the action is conditioned on the resolution’s listed requirements, SCAQMD permitting and compliance with any Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts wastewater determination.
