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| Looking at Maps on the NASA AREA II Portion where Radioactive Cesium 137 was Discovered |
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April 14, 2010
NASA ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL SOIL CLEANUP AT SANTA SUSANA FIELD LAB
In 2008, to protect surface water quality the Regional Water Quality Control
Board issued an order requiring soil cleanup at Santa Susana Field Laboratory
(SSFL). In 2009, NASA completed soil removal in two small areas on property
NASA administers.
NASA had also intended to remove other areas of soil to remove soil
contamination sources and prevent discharges to surface water of the chemicals
of concern. The initial schedule was to begin removal of soil last summer.
Because of complications in obtaining in-state disposal facilities, soil cleanup
was delayed. NASA now is ready to proceed with the soil removal; out-of-state
disposal facilities have been secured.
Soil removal in this area, adjacent to the mothballed Expendable Launch Vehicle
area, will begin on Monday, April 19th, weather permitting, and is expected to
take about four weeks.
Disposal facilities for the soils have been found out of state at the U.S.
Ecology landfills in Beatty, Nevada and Grandview, Idaho.
Part of this waste will be sent as non-hazardous waste to Nevada. The remainder
of the waste, which had a few samples considered to be above local background
levels for cesium-137, is being sent to the Idaho landfill as hazardous waste.
This important soil removal action will help protect surface water quality by
removing these chemicals from the soil. In addition, NASA has identified
several other areas of soils that will be removed later this year. In this way,
NASA continues to meet its commitment to protect human health and the
environment.
More information on these soil removal actions can be found at:
http://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov/documents/factsheets/ISRA_Final_Nov_11_09.pdf
and at
http://www.boeing.com/aboutus/environment/santa_susana/isra.html
Merrilee Fellows - NASA
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