The controversial Exide recycling plant in Vernon is to permanently close down under an agreement reached late Wednesday night with the U.S Attorney's Office.
The battery recycling plant has been at the center of community outrage due to its long history of violating air pollution and hazardous waste laws.
Under the agreement, Exide will not face criminal charges but will pay tens of millions of dollars to clean up the problem. They will also have to admit to the illegal storage and transportation of hazardous materials.
It is a victory for residents, environmental activists, and a number of Los Angeles County officials who contended the plant, which dates to the 1920s, has posed a threat to public health.
An Exide spokesperson said the company will release a comment later Thursday.
In December, the second phase of the cleanup of two residential neighborhoods near the plant began. Crews began removing contaminated soil from two yards in Boyle Heights that contain concentrations of lead that could pose a risk to young children or women who are pregnant.
These two neighborhoods were identified by the South Coast Air Quality Management District as the most likely to be impacted by lead emissions from the plant.
Exide was previously ordered by the State Department of Toxic Substances to put aside $9 million to clean up the two neighborhoods. The state Department of Toxic Substances also ordered Exide to set aside $38.6 million for cleanup costs if the Vernon plant ever closes.
A report released last year disclosed that concentrations of lead in excess of 80 parts per million (ppm) were found in the yards of 39 homes. Eighty ppm is deemed a "screening" threshold; California Public Health considers concentrations in excess of 400 ppm to be potentially harmful, especially to young children whose brain development can be impaired by lead poisoning.