Aerospace company’s payout over toxic tank leak won’t cut it, SoCal leaders fume

A lousy $3 million check offered up by an aerospace company following a chemical leak that forced the evacuation of 40,000 people is no substitute for a real refund, frustrated Orange County officials warned Thursday.

GKN Aerospace announced Wednesday they would give $3 million, in addition to another $1 million, to help the tens of thousands of Orange County residents who had to evacuate as a result of the chemical leak in Garden Grove.

The evacuations “caused significant hardship to many in our community and placed first responders in a dangerous and volatile situation,” Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein read from an unpublished letter sent to the company during a Council meeting on Thursday.

“This $3 million that was contributed… is not a reimbursement or a refund for the expenses faced by the community… I echo the concerns of my colleagues because this $3 million, while it will help some folks in the immediate nature, it is not a refund or a reimbursement for everyone in their times of financial stress and for the hardships that they experience,” Councilwoman Ariana Arestegui reiterated.

Orange County Board Chairman Doug Chaffee also referred to the payment as a “drop in the bucket” in a separate statement.

During the meeting, Garden Grove officials urged GKN Aerospace leaders to come to next week’s meeting to talk about further steps to prevent another accident and to update the community.

Orange County Health Care Agency officials originally planned on removing the chemical MMA (methyl methacrylate) from the tanks Thursday or Friday, but that plan was delayed after specialized trucks didn’t arrive in time.

Officials were hoping to take out the MMA from the two storage tanks and placing it into the trucks, which the trucks would then have disposed them.

Once the plans are underway, a “fruity or plastic-like” odor may be present as a result of MMA according to the OC Health Care Agency. “The product has a very low odor threshold, meaning people may notice a scent even when concentrations are well below levels associated with health concerns,” the agency continued.