The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a motion next week for $3 million to fund soil testing for lead in areas south of the Eaton Fire burn area, officials announced Friday.
The motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath, whose districts respectively include areas devastated in the Eaton and Palisades fires, calls for reallocating funds from county’s Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program to assist residents with the cost of soil testing.
The motion directs the LA County Department of Public Health and the county Development Authority to use a portion of 2018 lead paint settlement funds to pay for soil testing on residential properties in neighborhoods downwind and within a 1-mile radius of the Eaton burn area.
“The findings shared by the Department of Public Health are concerning for our residents who live near the Eaton Fire burn area and are now facing the possibility of soil contamination,” Barger said in a statement. “I’m aware some of my constituents want to test their soil but are worried about the cost. This motion is about making sure they have access to resources and support to protect their health and their homes.”
The deadly Eaton Fire — which killed 18 people as it swiftly spread through the Altadena area earlier this year amid hurricane-force Santa Ana winds — left not only widespread structural damage but also environmental damage from the release of toxic substances carried by fire debris.
Soil sampling between February and March revealed unexpectedly high levels of lead in areas with intact houses, which officials said is likely linked to older homes and the fire’s spread of contaminants through the air.
In 2018, the county settled a lawsuit with former manufacturers of lead-based paint, according to the motion. The lawsuit’s settlement allows the county to use settlement funds to address public health hazards and property damage related to lead paint. The resulting Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program has remediated lead-based paint hazards from nearly 1,100 homes and will continue through the remainder of the decade.
The board will consider the motion Tuesday and if passed, it will enable the health department to contract with certified laboratories to provide soil testing assistance quickly and efficiently, officials said.
