The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a complex
of industrial research and development facilities
located on a 2,668-acre (1,080 ha) portion
of the Southern California Simi Hills in Simi
Valley, California.
It was used mainly for the development and
testing of liquid-propellant rocket engines
for the United States space program from 1949
to 2006, nuclear reactors from 1953 to 1980
and the operation of a U.S. government-sponsored
liquid metals research center from 1966 to
1998.
The site is located approximately 7 miles
(11 km) northwest from the community of Canoga
Park and approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest
of Downtown Los Angeles.
Sage Ranch Park is adjacent on part of the
northern boundary and the community of Bell
Canyon along the entire southern boundary.Throughout
the years, about ten low-power nuclear reactors
operated at SSFL, in addition to several "critical
facilities" that helped develop nuclear science
and applications.
At least four of the ten nuclear reactors
had accidents during their operation.
The reactors located on the grounds of SSFL
were considered experimental, and therefore,
had no containment structures.
The site ceased research and development operations
in 2006.
The years of rocket testing, nuclear reactor
testing, and liquid metal research have left
the site "significantly contaminated".
Environmental cleanup is ongoing.
The public who live near the site have over
the years strongly urged a thorough cleanup
of the site, citing cases of long term illnesses,
including cancer cases at rates they claim
are higher than normal.
On March 30, 2018, a 7-year-old girl living
in Simi Valley died of neuroblastoma, prompting
public urging to thoroughly clean up the site.
== Introduction ==
Since 1947 the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
location has been used by a number of companies
and agencies.
The first was Rocketdyne, originally a division
of North American Aviation-NAA, which developed
a variety of pioneering, successful, and reliable
liquid rocket engines.
Some were those used in the Navaho cruise
missile, the Redstone rocket, the Thor and
Jupiter ballistic missiles, early versions
of the Delta and Atlas rockets, the Saturn
rocket family, and the Space Shuttle Main
Engine.
The Atomics International division of North
American Aviation used a separate and dedicated
portion of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
to build and operate the first commercial
nuclear power plant in the United States,
as well as for the testing and development
of compact nuclear reactors, including the
first and only known nuclear reactor launched
into Low Earth Orbit by the United States,
the SNAP-10A.
Atomics International also operated the Energy
Technology Engineering Center for the U.S.
Department of Energy at the site.
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory includes
sites identified as historic by the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
and by the American Nuclear Society.
In 1996, The Boeing Company became the primary
owner and operator of the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory and later closed the site.
Three California state agencies and three
federal agencies have been overseeing a detailed
investigation of environmental impacts from
historical site operations since at least
1990.
Concerns about the environmental impact of
past disposal practices have inspired at least
two lawsuits seeking payment from Boeing and
several interest groups are actively involved
with steering the ongoing environmental investigation.
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is the focus
of diverse interests.
Burro Flats Painted Cave, listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, is located within
the Santa Susana Field Laboratory boundaries,
on a portion of the site owned by the U.S.
government.
The drawings within the cave have been termed
"the best preserved Indian pictograph in Southern
California."
Several tributary streams to the Los Angeles
River have headwater watersheds on the SSFL
property, including Bell Creek (90% of SSFL
drainage), Dayton Creek, Woolsey Canyon, and
Runkle Creek.
== History ==
SSFL was slated as a United States government
facility dedicated to the development and
testing of nuclear reactors, powerful rockets
such as the Delta II, and the systems that
powered the Apollo missions.
The location of SSFL was chosen in 1947 for
its remoteness in order to conduct work that
was considered too dangerous and too noisy
to be performed in more densely populated
areas.
In subsequent years, however, the Southern
California population grew, along with housing
developments surrounding "The Hill".
Today, more than 150,000 people live within
5 miles (8 km) of the facility, and at least
half a million people live within 10 miles
(16 km).
The site is divided into four production and
two buffer areas, (Area I, II, III, and IV,
and the northern and southern buffer zones).
Areas I through III were used for rocket testing,
missile testing, and munitions development.
Area IV was used primarily for nuclear reactor
experimentation and development.
Laser research for the Strategic Defense Initiative
(popularly known as "Star Wars"), also was
conducted in Area IV.The 2018 Woolsey Fire
begun near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
site.
=== Rocket engine development ===
North American Aviation (NAA) began its development
of liquid propellant rocket engines after
the end of WWII.
The Rocketdyne division of NAA, which came
into being under its own name in the mid-1950s,
designed and tested several rocket engines
at the facility.
They included engines for the Army's Redstone
(an advanced short-range version of the German
V-2), and the Army Jupiter intermediate range
ballistic missile (IRBM) as well as the Air
Force's counterpart IRBM, the Thor.
Also included among those developed there,
were engines for the Atlas Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile (ICBM), as well as the twin
combustion chamber alcohol/liquid oxygen booster
engine for the Navaho, a large, intercontinental
cruise missile that never became operational.
Later, Rocketdyne designed and tested the
J-2 liquid oxygen/hydrogen engine which was
used on the second and third stages of the
Project Apollo spacecraft.
While the J-2 was tested at the facility,
Rocketdyne's huge F-1 engine for the first
stage of Apollo was tested in the Mojave desert
near Edwards Air Force Base.
This was due to safety and noise considerations,
since SSFL was too close to populated areas.
=== Nuclear and energy research and development
===
The Atomics International Division of North
American Aviation used SSFL Area IV as the
site of United States first commercial nuclear
power plant and the testing and development
of the SNAP-10A, the first nuclear reactor
launched into outer space by the United States.
Atomics International also operated the Energy
Technology Engineering Center at the site
for the U.S. government.
As overall interest in nuclear power declined,
Atomics International made a transition to
non-nuclear energy-related projects, such
as coal gasification, and gradually, ceased
designing and testing nuclear reactors.
Atomics International eventually was merged
with the Rocketdyne division in 1978.
==== Sodium reactor experiment ====
The Sodium Reactor Experiment-SRE was an experimental
nuclear reactor that operated at the site
from 1957 to 1964 and was the first commercial
power plant in the world to experience a core
meltdown.
There was a decades-long cover-up of the incident
by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The operation predated environmental regulation,
so early disposal techniques are not recorded
in detail.
Thousands of pounds of sodium coolant from
the time of the meltdown are not yet accounted
for.The reactor and support systems were removed
in 1981 and the building torn down in 1999.
The 1959 sodium reactor incident was chronicled
on History Channel's program Engineering Disasters
19.
==== Energy Technology Engineering Center
====
The Energy Technology Engineering Center-ETEC,
was a government-owned, contractor-operated
complex of industrial facilities located within
Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
The ETEC specialized in non-nuclear testing
of components which were designed to transfer
heat from a nuclear reactor using liquid metals
instead of water or gas.
The center operated from 1966 to 1998.
The ETEC site has been closed and is now undergoing
building removal and environmental remediation
by the U.S. Department of Energy.
== Accidents and site contamination ==
=== 
Nuclear reactors ===
Throughout the years, approximately ten low-power
nuclear reactors operated at SSFL, in addition
to several "critical facilities": a sodium
burn pit in which sodium-coated objects were
burned in an open pit; a plutonium fuel fabrication
facility; a uranium carbide fuel fabrication
facility; and the purportedly largest "Hot
Lab" facility in the United States at the
time.
(A Hot Lab is a facility used for remotely
cutting up irradiated nuclear fuel.)
Irradiated nuclear fuel from other Atomic
Energy Commission (AEC) and Department of
Energy (DOE) facilities from around the country
were shipped to SSFL to be decladded and examined.
The Hot Lab suffered a number of fires involving
radioactive materials.
For example, in 1957, a fire in the Hot Cell
"got out of control and ... massive contamination"
resulted.At least four of the ten nuclear
reactors suffered accidents: 1) The AE6 reactor
experienced a release of fission gases in
March 1959.
2) In July 1959, the SRE experienced a power
excursion and partial meltdown that released
28 Curies of radioactive noble gasses.
The release resulted on the maximum off site
exposure of 0.099 millirem and an exposure
of 0.018 millirem for the nearest residential
building which is well within current limits
today.
3) In 1964, the SNAP8ER experienced damage
to 80% of its fuel.
4) Finally, in 1969 the SNAP8DR experienced
similar damage to one-third of its fuel.A
radioactive fire occurred in 1971, involving
combustible primary reactor coolant (NaK)
contaminated with mixed fission products.The
reactors located on the grounds of SSFL were
considered experimental, and therefore had
no containment structures.
Reactors and highly radioactive components
were housed without the large concrete domes
that surround modern power reactors.
=== Sodium burn pits ===
The sodium burn pit, an open-air pit for cleaning
sodium-contaminated components, was also contaminated
by the burning of radioactively and chemically
contaminated items in it, in contravention
of safety requirements.
In an article in the Ventura County Star,
James Palmer, a former SSFL worker was interviewed.
The article notes that "of the 27 men on Palmer's
crew, 22 died of cancers."
On some nights Palmer returned home from work
and kissed "his wife [hello], only to burn
her lips with the chemicals he had breathed
at work."
The report also noted that "During their breaks,
Palmer's crew would fish in one of three ponds
... The men would use a solution that was
90 percent hydrogen peroxide to neutralize
the contamination.
Sometimes, the water was so polluted it bubbled.
The fish died off."
Palmer's interview ended on a somber note:
"They had seven wells up there, water wells,
and every damn one of them was contaminated,"
Palmer said, "It was a horror story."Other
spills and releases occurred over the decades
of operation as well.
In 1989, a DOE investigation found widespread
chemical and radioactive contamination on
the property.
Widely publicized in the local press, the
revelations led to substantial concern among
community members and elected officials, resulting
in a challenge to and subsequent shutdown
of continued nuclear activity at the site,
and the filing of lawsuits.
Cleanup commenced, and the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) was brought in at
the request of local legislators to provide
oversight.
On December 11, 2002, a top Department of
Energy (DOE) official, Mike Lopez, described
typical clean-up procedures executed by Field
Lab employees in the past.
Workers would dispose of barrels filled with
highly toxic waste by shooting the barrels
with rifles so that they would explode and
release their contents into the air.
It is unclear when this process ended, but
for certain did end prior to the 1990s.On
July 26, 1994, two scientists, Otto K. Heiney,
52, of Canoga Park and Larry A. Pugh, 51,
of Thousand Oaks, were killed when the chemicals
they were illegally burning in open pits exploded.
After a grand jury investigation and FBI raid
on the facility, three Rocketdyne officials
pleaded guilty in June 2004 to illegally storing
explosive materials.
The jury deadlocked on the more serious charges
related to illegal burning of hazardous waste.At
trial, a retired Rocketdyne mechanic testified
as to what he witnessed at the time of the
explosion:
"I assumed we were burning waste," Lee Wells
testified, comparing the process used on July
21 and 26, 1994, to that once used to legally
dispose of leftover chemicals at the company's
old burn pit.
As Heiney poured the chemicals for what would
have been the third burn of the day, the blast
occurred, Wells said.
"[The background noise] was so loud I didn't
hear anything ... I felt the blast and I looked
down and my shirt was coming apart."
When he realized what had occurred, Wells
said, "I felt to see if I was all there ... I
knew I was burned but I didn't know how bad."
Wells suffered second- and third-degree burns
to his face, arms and stomach.
=== Wildfires and contamination ===
In 2005, wildfires swept through northern
Los Angeles County and parts of Ventura County.
The fires consumed most of the dry brush throughout
the Simi Hills where SSFL is located.
The facility received substantial fire damage.
Since the fire, allegations have emerged that
vast quantities of on-site contamination were
released into the air.
Most recently, Los Angeles County firefighters
who were assigned to SSFL during the fire
have been sent for medical testing to see
if any harmful doses were ingested or inhaled
while protecting the facility.While community
members and firefighters have expressed concern
about the amount of exposure, Boeing officials
stand by their position that no contamination
of the air resulted from the fire, and that
any contamination that may have been consumed
by the fire was negligible.
California Department of Toxic Substances
Control also claims that no significant contamination
occurred as a result of the fire.
Although the Field Lab is under current criticism
for violating almost 50 discharge permits,
state agencies have been silent on the issue.
Recently, lawyers disclosed to the California
State Water Resources Control Board that over
80 exceedances of Boeing's discharge permits
were found in the preceding year alone.
In January 2006, the State Water Resources
Control Board finally stepped in, and refused
some requests by Boeing for even lighter standards.On
Thursday November 8, 2018, the Woolsey wildfire
scorched portions of the Santa Susana Field
Laboratory (SSFL), also known as Rocketdyne,
causing the Southern California Edison's Chatsworth
electical substation to trip offline at 2:22
pm.
However, the Woolsey Fire is reported to have
began at 3:30 pm on November 8, 2018, at Rocketdyne
in Simi Valley.
Although NBC News reported that the Los Angeles
County Public Health stated that no contamination
was spread and that the California Department
of Toxic Substances Control, which is overseeing
cleanup of the site, also said that "previously
handled radioactive and hazardous materials
were not affected by the fire," Dr. Bob Dodge,
President of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los
Angeles, said, “The Woolsey Fire likely
released and spread radiological and chemical
contamination that was in SSFL’s soil and
vegetation via smoke and ash.
All wildfire smoke can be hazardous to health,
but if SSFL had been cleaned up long ago as
DTSC promised, we’d at least not have to
worry about exposure to dangerous radionuclides
and chemicals as well.”
He added, "When it burns and becomes airborne
in smoke and ash, there is real possibility
of heightened exposure for area residents."
=== 
Medical claims ===
Also in October 2005, plaintiff Margaret-Ann
Galasso, in a suit against Boeing, criticized
her attorneys, who, as she claimed, accepted
a $30 million settlement with Boeing without
her approval.
The attorneys stand to collect $18 million,
or 60% of the settlement amount after their
costs and fees are subtracted.
The plaintiff who disclosed the allegedly
tainted deal, is splitting the rest of the
settlement with other plaintiffs and will
only receive around $30,000, insufficient
for the amount she will need for extensive
future medical treatments for diseases that
were linked to contamination from the SSFL
facility.
In October 2006, the Santa Susana Field Laboratory
Advisory Panel, made up of independent scientists
and researchers from around the United States,
concluded that based on available data and
computer models, contamination at the facility
resulted in an estimated 260 cancer related
deaths.
The report also concluded that the SRE meltdown
caused the release of more than 458 times
the amount of radioactivity released by the
Three Mile Island accident.
While the nuclear core of the SRE released
10 times less radiation than the TMI incident,
the lack of proper containment such as concrete
structures caused this radiation to be released
into the surrounding environment.
The radiation released by the core of the
TMI was largely contained.According to studies
conducted by Hal Morgenstern between 1988
and 2002, residents living within 2 miles
of the laboratory are 60% more likely to be
diagnosed with certain cancers compared to
residents living 5 miles from the laboratory.
This 2-mile region includes small sections
of far southeastern Simi Valley and most of
Bell Canyon.
Part of Chatsworth and Canoga Park, as well
as most of West Hills and Simi Valley are
within 5 miles of the laboratory.
== Cleanup ==
During its years of operation widespread use
occurred of highly toxic chemical additives
to power over 30,000 rocket engine tests and
to clean the rocket test-stands afterwards,
as well as considerable nuclear research and
at least four nuclear accidents, which has
resulted in the SSFL becoming a seriously
contaminated site and offsite pollution source
requiring a sophisticated multi-agency and
corporate Cleanup Project.
An ongoing process to determine the site contamination
levels and locations, cleanup standards to
meet, methods to use, costs, timelines and
completion requirements – are still being
debated, and litigated.As of 2015 the site's
owner is Boeing, with NASA and DOE liable
for several parcels within that.
On August 2, 2005, Pratt & Whitney purchased
Boeing's Rocketdyne division, but declined
to acquire SSFL as part of the sale.
=== Standards history ===
In 1989, the DOE found widespread chemical
and radioactive contamination at their site,
and a cleanup program commenced.
In 1995 EPA and DOE announced that they had
entered into a joint policy agreement to assure
that all DOE sites would be cleaned up to
standards consistent with the EPA's Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA) standards.
However, in March 2003, the DOE reversed its
position and announced that SSFL would not
be cleaned up to EPA standards.
While the DOE simultaneously claimed compliance
with the 1995 joint policy agreement, the
new plan included a cleanup of only 1% of
the contaminated soil, and the release of
SSFL for unrestricted residential use in as
little as ten years.
The EPA responded to this announcement by
claiming that the DOE was not subject to EPA
regulation due to the fact that the DOE existed
as a separate entity under the executive branch
of the federal government, and refused to
take steps to force DOE adherence to the 1995
agreement.
In August 2003, the Senate Appropriations
Committee issued a report on Energy and Water
Appropriations, urging the DOE to meet its
commitments in the 1995 agreement and clean
up SSFL to the EPA's CERCLA standards.
The DOE responded to the Senate, claiming
it was in fact consistent with both the agreement
and EPA's CERCLA standards.
In December 2003, soon after DOE's announcement
that it was consistent with the 1995 agreement,
EPA determined that the cleanup was not consistent
with its CERCLA standards, and that sufficient
contamination would remain at levels that
would be dangerously inappropriate for unrestricted
residential, and that the only safe use under
DOE's revised cleanup standards would be restricted
day hikes with limitations on picnicking.
Critics point out that if the DOE-Boeing cleanup
plan was followed through and the site was
released for unrestricted residential use,
the property would likely become a Superfund
site subject to EPA standards.
After the sale, the site would no longer be
a DOE facility, and thus, the exemption from
CERCLA standards would no longer be in effect.
The end result being that the site would only
be brought into compliance with CERCLA cleanup
standards after Boeing has sold the property,
relieving the company of any burden of cleanup
costs.
The costs would likely be passed on to taxpayers,
and not those responsible for the actual contamination.
In early May 2007, a Federal Court in San
Francisco issued a major ruling which concluded
that DOE has not been cleaning up the site
to proper standards, and that the site would
have to be cleaned up to higher standards
if DOE ever wanted to release the site to
Boeing, which in turn, would most likely release
the land for unrestricted residential development.
Judge "Conti's ruling requires DOE to prepare
a more stringent review of the lab, which
is on the border of Los Angeles County.
Conti wrote that the department's decision
to prepare a less-stringent environmental
document prior to cleanup is in violation
of the National Environmental Policy Act and
noted that the lab 'is located only miles
away from one of the largest population centers
in the world.'"
==== Runoff issues ====
On July 26, 2007, staff at the Los Angeles
Regional Water Quality Control Board recommended
a $471,190 fine against Boeing for 79 violations
of the California Water Code during an 18-month
period.
From October 2004 to January 2006, wastewater
and storm water runoff coming from the lab
had increased levels of chromium, dioxin,
lead, mercury and other pollutants, the board
said.
The contaminated water flowed into Bell Creek
and the Los Angeles River in violation of
a July 1, 2004, permit that allowed release
of wastewater and storm water runoff as long
as it didn't contain high levels of pollutants.
==== Parkland ====
On October 15, 2007, Boeing announced that
"In a landmark agreement between Boeing and
California officials, nearly 2,400 acres (10
km2) of land that is currently Boeing's Santa
Susana Field Laboratory will become state
parkland.
According to the plan jointly announced by
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Boeing,
and state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, the property
will be donated and preserved as a vital undeveloped
open-space link in the Simi Hills, above the
Simi Valley and the San Fernando Valley.
The agreement will permanently restrict the
land for nonresidential, noncommercial use."
=== 
New cleanup developments ===
==== SB 990 ====
The California state senate bill SB 990, passed
into law in 2007, set the standards for the
site's cleanup.
To achieve them, the R.P.s (responsible parties)
consisting of Boeing, DOE, and NASA, need
to sign agreements of acceptance and cleanup
compliance.
==== Boeing ====
Boeing has contested the law, filing a lawsuit
in September 2009 to release it from compliance,
with a court date set for summer 2011.
Boeing won the suit and claims it will clean
up the site, although to levels far below
those outlined in SB 990.
==== DOE and NASA ====
In September 2010 DOE and NASA agreed to meet
the stringent cleanup standards set for the
site in the state's SB 990 legislation, and
to cover all costs for their cleanup's implementation.
This agreement is significant progress in
the SSFL cleanup sequence.
In 2014, NASA issued a final environmental
impact statement containing mitigation measures
that would demolish all structures and remediate
soil and groundwater contamination.
NASA issued a report highlighting cleanup
technology feasibility studies, soil and groundwater
fieldwork, and additional archaeology surveys
that would be performed in preparation for
the demolition of the structures.Demolition
of the abandoned buildings, including a cafeteria,
laboratory and offices for engineers and draftsmen
built in the 1950s and 1960s, was scheduled
to start in January or February 2015 after
abatement of asbestos, lead paint and other
regulated materials.
The test stands will follow and are the most
complex to tear down but all demolition should
be completed in 2016.
Because of their historical significance,
one test stand and one control building will
remain if the cleanup goals can still be met.
The cleanup is projected to be completed in
2017.
=== Community involvement ===
==== PPG – Public Participation Group ====
The CA-DTSC: SSFL Project, the lead regulatory
agency for the site cleanup, is forming a
new [Sept. 2010] PPG – Public Participation
Group, in response to their community 'Listening
Sessions' held earlier in the year and the
proposed Listening Session Response Plan.
Applications from all the 'stakeholder' I.P.s
– interested parties: the public, community
groups, neighbors, local environmental and
cultural groups, and others are being accepted
currently [Sept. 2010].
==== SSFL Workgroup ====
Every quarter the SSFL Workgroup meetings
regarding the cleanup are held that are open
for public attendance.
The SSFL Workgroup is the current version
of the Santa Susana Advisory Panel.
The workgroup consists of representatives
from the California Department of Toxic Substances
Control, the U.S. EPA., public policy organizations,
and community representatives.
The Boeing Company, current owner of the SSFL
site, the DOE are also invited.
Other organizations and private companies
also attend as part of the workgroup depending
on the topic pending.
The meetings are usually held at The Simi
Valley Cultural Arts Center, and are posted
on the DTSC-SSFL Calendar page of their website.
==== Community advisory group ====
A petition to form a "CAG" or community advisory
group was denied in March 2010 by DTSC.
In 2012, the current CAG's petition was approved,
and their website is at ssflcag.net.
The SSFL CAG recommends that all responsible
parties execute a risk-based cleanup to EPA’s
suburban residential standard that will minimize
excavation, soil removal and backfill and
thus reduce danger to public health and functions
of surrounding communities.
However, SSFL Panel believes the CAG has a
conflict of interest, as it is funded in large
part by a grant from the U.S. Department of
Energy, and three of its members are former
employees of Boeing or its parent company,
North American Aviation.
The CAG tried to keep the source of its funding,
over $34,000, anonymous.
==== Physicians for Social Responsibility
====
The Los Angeles chapter of the Physicians
for Social Responsibility has been working
with the SSFL Work Group and Rocketdyne Cleanup
Coalition.
PSR expressed concern over conflict of interest
involving Boeing, CAG, DTSC and others related
to the cleanup that were revealed in a 55-page
report, Inside Job – How Boeing Fixers Captured
Regulators and Derailed a Nuclear and Chemical
Cleanup in LA's Backyard, published in 2014
by Consumer Watchdog.
== See also ==
Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents
Nuclear labor issues
Nuclear reactor accidents in the United States
