California Governor Newsom Declares State of Emergency for Orange County for Garden Grove Chemical Tank Incident

California's Governor Newsom just declared a State of Emergency for Orange County related to the malfunctioning chemical tank in Garden Grove. Fears that a storage tank of methyl methacrylate may fail and spill thousands of gallons of the toxic chemical or even explode next to other toxic chemical storage tanks has led to the mandatory evacuation of thousands of residents in nearby areas. (We discussed this in an earlier article, here.)

Photo Credit: Screenshot, OCFA Facebook video post

The proclamation directs the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and all state agencies to address the emergency and support Orange County and impacted local jurisdictions. It also unlocks additional emergency response resources including making state-owned properties and fairgrounds available as shelters for evacuated residents.

Governor Newsom said, "The safety of Orange County residents is the top priority. We are mobilizing every state resource available to support local responders and make sure the community has what they need to stay safe."

Added Director of Cal OES Caroline Thomas Jacobs, "Cal OES continues to work alongside our local partners to support the ongoing hazardous materials response operation. Our role is to coordinate resources, share critical information, and ensure local responders have all the resources necessary to safely respond to this dynamic situation. We are committed to a unified, whole-of-government response focused on keeping our communities safe."

Orange County Fire Authority Unified Incident Commander Craig Covey posted a current assessment of the situation on Facebook this morning.

Current evacuation maps can be found here:  Garden Grove website 

Additional information, including shelter locations, can be found here: Cal OES Community Resource page.

The text of today’s emergency proclamation for the Orange County can be found here.

Mandatory Evacuation Orders issued in Garden Grove, CA, due to hazardous chemical storage tank emergency

Due to an emergency related to a malfunctioning hazardous chemical storage tank, the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and local law enforcement today have issued mandatory evacuation orders for the surrounding facility.

Photo Credit: Screenshot of OCFA and local law enforcement Critical Incident Update

Emergency crews responded yesterday, May 21, 2026, to a hazardous materials call at the GKN Aerospace facility located in the 12000 block of Western Avenue in Garden Grove. The emergency was due to an overheated 34,000 gallon tank containing methyl methacrylate, a highly volatile, flammable, and toxic chemical used to make acrylic plastics and aerospace components. As a result of the overheating, the tank began releasing toxic vapors into the sky.

The initial response to the emergency was to douse the tank with water to cool it own, however, the situation worsened this morning. Additionally, according to OCFA Division Chief Craig Covey, the chemical cannot be safely removed because of an inoperable valve on the tank and is therefore considered to be "unable to be secured and mitigated."

Although there is no active toxic gas plume in the air surrounding the emergency, officials fear that because of the thermal characteristics of methyl methacrylate (a self-heating substance), they are facing a critical thermal runaway threat that leaves them, currently, with only two outcomes:

1. Tank failure, which would result in the spill of approximately 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of the chemical into the immediate industrial complex and parking lot, or, 

2. Catastrophic thermal runaway and explosion, which could potentially impact nearby tanks that contain fuel and other chemicals.

Because of this concern, a massive one-mile buffer zone has been established, resulting in the following mandatory evacuation zone:

• North of Trask Avenue 
• South of Ball Road
• East of Valley View Street
• West of Dale Street

Additionally, the following temporary resources and shelters have been established:

• Stanton City Hall, 7800 Katella Ave., Stanton (temporary shelter)
• Community Recreation Center, 13641 Deodora Drive, Garden Grove (reunification center)

The following school closures have also been announced:

The Garden Grove Unified School District has closed several campuses and district facilities until further notice. All outdoor activities for schools outside the evacuation zone have been canceled.

No injuries have been reported as of yet and specialized HAZMAT teams are still on site attempting to manage the tank.

EPA Announces $27.5 Million Grant to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water in California

On May 20, 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will be granting California $27.5 million to fund efforts to reduce lead in drinking water. The funding is part of a $2.9 billion funding effort to help states and American territories locate and replace lead pipes that can contaminate drinking with toxic lead.

Photo credit: United States EPA

Jess Kramer, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Water, said, "An investment in removing lead pipes is an investment in America's children and families. The Trump EPA is committed to tackling lead exposure and this $2.9 billion will help protect current and future generations across America by accelerating local efforts to find and replace toxic lead pipes. 

The size of the grants given to each state and territory may vary widely. For example, California's grant pales in comparison to, say, the state of Illinois, which will be getting almost $296 million. However, the reason for this is that the Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA to base its funding decisions on the infrastructure needs of each state. Using the best-available data from service line inventories to project the number of lead service lines ensures that EPA can provide funding to the locations that need these funds the most.  

For the DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement funding, EPA used the 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) to estimate lead service-line specific need by incorporating nationwide lead service line inventory data. Please see this fact sheet and webpage for more information:

 

Fact Sheet -  https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-11/fact-sheet-2025-7th-dwinsa-update.pdf  

DWINSA - https://www.epa.gov/dwsrf/epas-7th-drinking-water-infrastructure-needs-survey-and-assessment