City Caps Sewer in Cyanide Dumping Case

The Los Angeles Department of Public Works severed and capped the sewer pipe of a Glassell Park jewelry recycling center Monday for allegedly dumping extremely high concentrations of cyanide into the sewer system.

Rafidain Refinery Inc. at 3060 Roswell St. was found to be dumping up to 800 milligrams of cyanide per liter of water, the highest concentration of the chemical ever found in the city’s sewers, according to a spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Public Works.

The limit for cyanide discharge from plants that recycle jewelry to extract gold is 2 milligrams per liter, she said.

The six-month-old refinery, which does not have an industrial waste discharge permit, was ordered to cease its operation Friday, but 40 milligrams of cyanide per liter of water was found in samples taken from its waste discharge on Saturday, said J. Malcolm Toy of the Bureau of Sanitation.

The manager of the refinery, Krikor J. Mahrouk, said he believed that the plant was complying with city regulations and had continued to operate the plant after the order to stop was received.

Cyanide, which is poisonous, is used in a gold-cleaning process. The danger in cyanide dumping is the eventual production of cyanide gas, which would be “potentially harmful or lethal” for sewer workers and nearby residents, Toy said.

Cyanide was found in the water as far as a mile from the plant, said Edward J. Avila, a public works commissioner. “It was an extremely lethal discharge and it could have killed (someone).”

On orders from the board, city workers dug through the street outside the plant, severed a two-foot portion of a pipe and capped it with concrete. The caps will remain in place until the company installs the required treatment equipment and gains its waste permit.

Rafidain was the third refinery in the last two years to have its sewer pipes sealed, said Sterling Buesch, assistant director of the Bureau of Sanitation. The closure is part of a “continuing crackdown” on excessive cyanide dumping by jewelry recyclers throughout the city, he said.

Rafidain, which services 15 jewelers, faces possible felony charges from the state and city Department of Health, Toy said.