El Segundo Files Suit Over Conditions at Sewage Plant : Environment: Neighbors of Hyperion treatment facility complain of noxious odors and fear release of hazardous chemicals.

Complaining of noxious odors and hazardous chemical releases, the city of El Segundo is suing Los Angeles to force environmental and safety improvements at the giant Hyperion sewage treatment plant.

The suit, filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, asks the court to take jurisdiction over hazardous materials and construction projects at Hyperion. That would make the plant more responsive to residents’ complaints about fumes, noise and dust, said El Segundo City Atty. Leland Dolley.

The suit also seeks $8 million in punitive damages in connection with a March 19 incident in which three residents near the plant suffered headaches, nausea and burning eyes, apparently from fumes. One woman was hospitalized.

A spokesman for Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said he could not comment on the suit because his office had not yet received a copy.

The El Segundo City Council announced in December that it would sue Los Angeles because of problems it blamed on Hyperion, which borders El Segundo on the west. The council authorized the suit March 23 after lawyers for the city had taken statements from more than 100 residents who complained about odors from the facility. Some said they suffered health problems as a result.

But it was the March 19 incident that prompted city leaders to unanimously approve the suit, City Manager Ron Cano said last week.

The suit alleges that Hyperion officials covered up the causes of the chlorine odor that residents complained of March 19.

Hyperion officials said at the time that a scrubbing device used to remove hydrogen sulfide gases had malfunctioned, but they added that it was unclear whether the problem had caused the smell cited by residents. Officials from the city and the South Coast Air Quality Management District said they could not pinpoint the source of the fumes.

The suit claims that the problem stemmed from the mishandling of “chlorine or some other similarly harmful material” at Hyperion. In seeking the punitive cash damages, the city alleges that Hyperion officials “failed to be fully cooperative” with the El Segundo and AQMD investigators.