Orange County sent a formal demand notice to GKN Aerospace on Friday, July 17, asking the company for $4 million in reimbursement for costs related to the response mounted over the Memorial Day weekend to contain a hazardous chemical threat at its Garden Grove plant.
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A malfunctioning and overheating tank of methyl methacrylate at the Garden Grove plant prompted the evacuation of some 50,000 residents in the area and shuttered nearby businesses over multiple days while emergency crews worked to prevent an explosion or large spill.
“The threatened release of MMA, a known hazardous substance stored at GKN’s manufacturing facility in Garden Grove, caused the county to incur these necessary response costs, which were taken to halt the immediate risk to public health and welfare, including but not limited to, the temporary evacuation of threatened individuals,” the letter signed by County Counsel Leon Page said.
The county spent $3.5 million in recoverable costs, the letter said, with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department incurring the bulk — about $2.7 million.
The letter asks for another $500,000 to reimburse expenditures to assist evacuees. The money came from Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s First District discretionary funds.
The bill totals $4,071,305, county officials said. The number does not include the $2.8 million incurred by the Orange County Fire Authority.
GKN Aerospace is a global leader in aviation manufacturing; its facility in West Garden Grove specializes in producing cockpit windshields, jet canopies and specialized bullet-resistant aviation glass.
“The blame for this disaster lies solely with GKN, and the county should not be bearing the brunt of these expenses,” Nguyen said in a statement. “The county works hard to stay in excellent fiscal shape, and now we have 10 agencies with huge expenses along with the OC Fire Authority. We need reimbursement.”
There have also been several lawsuits filed against GKN on behalf of residents and evacuees following the incident.
“We remain committed to the communities affected by the May incident and are continuing to explore appropriate next steps in the context of a complex legal environment,” a GKN Aerospace spokesperson said Friday afternoon. “We will continue to engage with county officials as well as numerous regulators and authorities as we reset the Garden Grove facility.”
The company has publicly apologized for the incident and has donated at least $1 million to the American Red Cross, $1 million to broader community initiatives and $3 million to the OC Community Resilience Fund to help reimburse community members for unexpected costs they incurred while having to evacuate.
The fund was organized by the OC United Way and 2-1-1 OC to provide applicants affected by the chemical incident with one-time payments up to $500. GKN’s contribution helped approximately 6,000 residents in the evacuation zone, United Way officials have said.
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The county is asking GKN Aerospace to respond by July 31.