The City of Paramount has been awarded $319,754 by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its community air quality monitoring program, which measures possible pollutants from metal-related businesses and ensures they are not emitting toxins into the air at harmful levels. The funding will cover the program’s costs for two years.
Twenty entities in California were given similar grants; Paramount was the only municipal recipient.
In late 2016, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) launched “the most extensive hexavalent chromium air monitoring program in the world in Paramount” due to the discovery of spikes in the levels of the metal.
In 2021, concluding that the hex chrome levels had been “low and stable” for an extended period, the agency discontinued its monitoring.
During that five-year span, the City had dedicated an unprecedented amount of time, energy, and resources to meet the air quality issue head on.Partnerships were formed and communication and transparency were crucial. This work led to SCAQMD giving Paramount its Model Community Achievement Award.
In that same spirit of determination, and knowing the importance of monitoring for the health and safety of residents, the Paramount City Council last year made the decision to maintain funding for ongoing air monitoring using the City’s General Fund.
After a year of testing, the results continue to be very positive. Samples are taken every six days, and readings have averaged 0.2 ng. (According to SCAQMD, any reading under 1.0 ng is considered an acceptable level.)
“This grant funding is a testament to the City’s commitment to a healthy community,” said Paramount Mayor Vilma Cuellar Stallings. “We appreciate that theEPA has noted the value and significance of our air monitoring.”
“This funding will provide scientific information needed to better understand and address impacts from air pollution,”said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional AdministratorMartha Guzman.“EPA is proud to support efforts at the local level to monitor air quality and promote monitoring partnerships.”
All testing results can be found onSCAQMD’s website, aqmd.gov, and ParamountEnvironment.org.
For more information, please contact Planning Director John Carver at (562) 220-2036.