ORANGE : Temporary Waste ‘Urgency’ Law OKd

An “urgency ordinance” approved unanimously by the City Council will require new businesses that handle hazardous waste from outside facilities to obtain conditional use permits.

The ordinance, approved last week, is a temporary measure to regulate companies that store or treat hazardous waste from other sites. The only business in the city now affected by the ordinance is LeaRonal Inc., a New York-based firm that operates a plant at 642 W. Nicholas Ave.

The council’s action follows revelations last month that LeaRonal, a company that has operated in the city since 1983, was seeking state permits that would allow it to use a cyanide solution in one of its processes.

LeaRonal recently paid a $407,302 fine to settle charges that it had illegally accepted, stored and treated cyanide and other hazardous wastes for six years. Complaints about the chemical manufacturer were the catalyst for the ordinance. Businesses already in operation will not be required to comply.

A permanent ordinance will be developed to incorporate the requirements of the county’s hazardous waste-management plan, which is expected to be approved by the State Department of Health Services this summer, city officials said.

According to the interim ordinance, companies that handle waste from outside sources will be permitted to operate only in the heavy industrial zone in the city’s northwest sector.

Fire Marshal Bob Clevenger said the Fire Department will look into a program to monitor the air near these facilities.