Complaint By Carson Residents Against Prologis Highlights Growing Pains For Industrial Developers

A lawsuit filed against Prologis this month by Carson residents highlights headwinds for the industrial sector as it faces growing pains, specifically in residential neighborhoods.

A persistent, aggressive odor in Carson prompted some residents to point the finger at an industrial warehouse fire that took place earlier this month.  

The smell, which is coming from the Dominguez Channel, has been officially attributed to decaying organic matter. It is bad enough that the city declared a state of emergency, the Daily Breeze has reported.

Because of the ongoing drought conditions, the decaying matter was not washed away, and is producing hydrogen sulfide gas, which has a very bad smell, county officials said. The Los Angeles County Department of Public works is treating the problem accordingly, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

But, the Times reports, a group of residents who live in the area and have been affected by the smell have filed a class-action lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court that names Prologis, the owner of a warehouse near Avalon and Alondra boulevards that caught on fire on Sept. 30, shortly before the smell appeared.

The lawsuit alleges debris from the fire at the warehouse, which was storing hand sanitizer, got into the waterway and blocked the decomposing items from moving along. 

A Prologis spokesperson told the LA Times that the fire is not responsible for the smell, and underscored that the cause has been widely reported as originating from dead plants and other organic matter not being washed away as they usually would as a result of drought conditions. 

Still, the lawsuit highlights potential issues posed by having industrial uses so close to residents, an increasingly hot topic as warehouse uses spread to meet high industrial demand in Southern California. 

Carson is not a newly industrial area. The complaint notes that the city is both residential and home to oil refineries, industrial operations and warehouse space. But as warehouses pop up in more areas, so too do more instances of warehouses and neighbors clashing, Earthjustice Staff Attorney Adrian Martinez said. 

“The word is out that these warehouses will impact the people who live around them,” Martinez said. 

Concerns about air pollution and truck and van traffic are top of mind for industrial developers, in part as a response to residents, especially in the Inland Empire, who have voiced concerns relating to warehouses in their neighborhoods. 

“Right now, the focus has been on traffic, emissions and congestion caused by warehouses; however, there’s a whole other universe of issues relating to what’s in the warehouse,” said Steve Farkas, who specializes in environmental law. “I haven’t seen a lot about that issue, but this could bring that to the forefront.” 

And though there are local and state laws as well as fire department oversight relating to what is held in warehouses, this instance also highlights that calamities can happen, Farkas said. The complaint from residents could serve as an example for those in opposition to future industrial projects, he added, and in turn raise concerns for developers.