Conditional Use Permit #25-0003/Initial Study #25-0009

The applicant submitted a Conditional Use Permit application (CUP #25-0003) for battery recycling facility, with Initial Study #25-0009. The project proposes to use an existing 8,000 square foot facility at 2255 Melon Road in an unincorporated area adjacent to the City of Holtville, identified under Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) 045-570-088-000. The 21.36-acre subject parcel is currently built up with 7 building structures of varying sizes and has access from Melon Road. The proposed battery recycling facility will focus on the crushing of inert batteries. These inert, inactive lithium batteries will be discharged in a facility in Los Angeles County and then delivered to the Holtville site via truck cargo Monday through Friday. A maximum of two trucks per day will be delivered to the site and up to two trucks will be transporting the crushed materials from the site to San Diego for export to Japan. Daily deliveries are expected to be approximately 40,000 lbs and a maximum of approximately 120,000 lbs. Deliveries are expected to occur around 11:00 am, while exports will take place around 9:00 am.Discharged batteries are received primarily from the Los Angeles County facility and, on occasion, directly from automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). These batteries are classified under hazardous waste code D003. Before transport, OHM’s Los Angeles County facility or the Original Equipment Manufacturers conducts a complete electrical resistance discharge using customized, purpose-built equipment to ensure the batteries are safely neutralized. All batteries are discharged to 0 volts prior to shipment, in full compliance with 49 CFR Part 397 and all applicable packaging and handling regulations. These measures are implemented to eliminate the risk of hazardous materials being released into the environment during transport. At the project site, sand and Class D fire extinguishing agents will be readily available in sufficient quantities to suppress and extinguish any potential fires, and to prevent their spread. To minimize the risk of thermal runaway, only the volume of batteries that can be processed within a single day will be accepted onsite, stockpiling is strictly avoided. The onsite process will consist of crushing the batteries with an industrial crusher located inside the 8,000 square foot facility. The crusher will occupy an area of approximately 550 square feet. OHM employees will utilize volt meters to verify that all the batteries received at the project site are completely discharged to 0 volts. If there are any batteries found that are not completely discharged, they will be removed through a quarantine process and returned to their source for additional processing. Once batteries are confirmed as being discharged and inert, the batteries will be crushed into 1.5” to 3” chunks. Crushed materials are then placed onto metal drums which will then be transported to San Diego for shipping. The crushing system is designed as a closed system, with VOC (Volatile Organic Compound)/air quality monitoring and purifying equipment. Employees will be utilizing personal protective equipment as required. The process takes approximately 24 hours from the time the batteries are received onsite until the time they leave the site. Crushed batteries are not stored on site for longer than 48 hours. Business operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM, with a total of 4 employees working onsite at any given time.