In the wake of the multi-day chemical crisis in neighboring Orange County, Los Angeles County has launched an online map to let people know whether they live or work near an industrial or waste site.
The map, released Friday by the L.A. County Department of Public Health, shows the location of more than 6,000 active or idle oil wells, as well as 1,300 industrial facilities, “some located in and around residential and community areas,” the agency said.
Also included are the sites of underground gas storage facilities, refineries, fuel terminals, legacy pollution sites, active industrial sites, landfills, dumps and recycling centers.
Aerospace plants and oil and gas facilities dot the landscape in California, but it is easy for many people to be unaware of them.
“Communities should be able to easily see clear information about what is in their neighborhoods,” said Barbara Ferrer, the director of the Department of Public Health. “This tool brings multiple sources of information together so people can better understand what may be affecting their health, make informed decisions, and support community planning that benefits everyone in the county.”
Developed by the county’s Office of Environmental Justice and Climate Health, the map can be found at tinyurl.com/industrialmap.
The tool’s rollout comes after the threat of a chemical tank explosion in Orange County transfixed Southern California over Memorial Day weekend.
Although disaster was ultimately averted in that case, Southern California has previously faced similar threats.
In 2015, there was an explosion at an Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance. No one was seriously hurt, but it had the potential to be catastrophic because of the presence of a highly toxic chemical on-site that can penetrate skin, officials said.
The same year, a blowout began at the Aliso Canyon SoCalGas natural gas storage well near Porter Ranch. It ultimately lasted 112 days; sickened thousands with headaches, nosebleeds and nausea; and temporarily forced 8,000 families from their homes.
And in 1989, thousands had to flee when poisonous chlorine gas leaked from a 30-ton tank in Ventura County, injuring about 20 people.
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