The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has granted the Department of Energy and two other responsible parties at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory a deadline extension until mid-April to begin baseline air monitoring at the cleanup site.
NASA, acting on behalf of Boeing and DOE, asked the state agency in late November for permission to move the deadline from Feb. 10 until April 15. The parties said more time was needed for construction, delivery, and installation of air monitoring stations. DTSC spokesman Russ Edmondson said by email Friday the request had been granted.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control first asked the three parties for a final map illustrating the proposed air sampling locations. After receiving the map on Jan. 29, the state granted the extension the next day. It informed the parties air monitoring should start “as soon as possible” but no later than April 15.
The state wants the baseline air monitoring information to gauge the level of dust and pollutants at the Southern California site prior to the beginning of environmental remediation. California has targeted 2019 for cleanup to begin at Santa Susana, which was used for various rocket engine tests and nuclear energy research for more than five decades.
The two-month delay in beginning air monitoring should not slow the start of cleanup, Edmondson said. The state has said cleanup of the 2,849-acre property located 30 miles from Los Angeles should be finished in 2034.
In addition to air monitoring, groundwater monitoring and treatment, SSFL cleanup will include excavation and off-site disposal of 2.5 million cubic yards of soil, with DOE responsible for 1.26 million cubic yards. The Energy Department has said the cost of soil remediation at its section of the site could run anywhere from $100 million to $1.6 billion, based on what cleanup option is eventually chosen.
