Cleanup Status
As identified in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) project overview, the DOE is committed to the cleanup required to allow unrestricted use of the property at ETEC, meet the conditions of the RCRA permits, and maintain groundwater protection. This cleanup includes the demolition of radiological facilities, demolition of most support buildings, cleanup of solid waste management units (SWMUs), and disposal of all waste off site at approved facilities.
Open the map to the right and select the areas identified on the map for more information on this remaining cleanup work.
Environmental Impact Statement
On July 19, 2007, the U.S Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management announced that it will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for remediation of Area IV. DOE will issue an Advance Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS and include extensive input from the local community and public as well as state and federal regulatory officials in the EIS development. DOE also notified its contractor, The Boeing Company, that cleanup activities at ETEC, which have been halted since May 24, 2007, will be stopped. DOE will restructure the existing contract with the Boeing Company to discontinue planned decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) activities. The restructured contract will include surveillance, maintenance, and environmental monitoring work, including soil and groundwater characterization required under state regulations, while DOE prepares an EIS
Radiological Facility Decommissioning
When a facility is contaminated with radioactivity as a result of prior radiological operations and/or research, it is decontaminated, decommissioned and surveyed in order to restore it to a safe, clean status where it can be used for other purposes without exposing future users to hazards or risks from radiation or radioactivity. A variety of reports are prepared to document this process and are provided on the Radiological Facility Decommissioning page.
EPA Conducts Superfund Evaluation of SSFL
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a Superfund Evaluation of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), including the site of DOE operations in Area IV.
Consent Order
On August 16, 2007, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) issued a "Consent Order for Corrective Action" to The Boeing Company, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to guide the RCRA cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
Historical Site Assessment
The ETEC Historical Site Assessment (HSA) was completed in May 2005. The HSA is a detailed investigation of historical information from Area IV that identifies sites that may have contained regulated radioactive material. The HSA describes the final status surveys performed for those sites that have been released for unrestricted use by the appropriate regulatory agencies. Sites requiring further sampling are identified in the HSA.
Groundwater
DOE has installed over 50 wells in and around Area IV. Groundwater is monitored at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory program under the oversight of DTSC. Chemically impacted groundwater has been identified in conjunction with four Solid Waste Management Units, FSDS, 4056 landfill, 4059 and RMHF leachfield, as found on the above map. Radiologically impacted groundwater was found near Building 4010. Visit the tritium in groundwater page for more information about monitoring in this area.
EPA Building Survey
Between January 2000 and September 2001, EPA and its contractor, Tetra-Tech, reviewed Boeing's and DOE's final status and verification surveys of 11 prior radiological facilities that had undergone D&D survey and release. EPA and Tetra-Tech also conducted radiological surveys of 8 of these facilities.
