DTSC, Boeing, NASA and the Department of Energy are hosting a Groundwater Series. Workshop 2: Where is Groundwater Contamination at SSFL? / Chatsworth Formation, Fate & Transport of Contaminants

This next Groundwater U session will feature Beth Parker and John Cherry who have worked as contractors for Boeing. They are not independent scientists and we need to remind them during the zoom that we know they have an agenda to make their data favorable towards Boeing, NASA, and the Dept. of Energy’s cleanup plans to leave the groundwater contaminated.

Register: https://bit.ly/GWUWorkshop2

Workshop 1: What is Groundwater? Geology & Hydrogeology

Speaker: Dr. Matthew Becker, Professor and Conrey Endowed Chair of Hydrogeology, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach

Register and learn more from DTSC here: https://dtsc.ca.gov/event/ssfl-workshop-1/

NOTES OF CONCERN:

• This Webinar is being held in collaboration between DTSC, Boeing, NASA, and Dept. of Energy. This is not independent science and residents should listen with a critical mindset.

• DTSC hosted an “SSFL Groundwater U” webinar in 2011 and spread misinformation about the groundwater. , Dr. Matthew Becker spoke in 2011.

Saturday, February 10th

Simi Valley Chipotle | 1263 Simi Town Center Way

Join us for food and good company! Melissa and Jeni will be at the Simi Valley Chipotle so be sure to swing by and say hello while eating some amazing burritos! Be sure to print this flyer or show it on your phone when ordering!

You can also order online for pickup with the code YEHN9W3. Can ONLY be used with the Chipotle app (don’t use other food delivery apps) or through the Chipotle website at the Simi Valley location on February 10 from 5-9pm.

Order online for pickup with the code YEHN9W3. Can ONLY be used with the Chipotle app (don’t use other food delivery apps) or oder through the Chipotle website for the Simi Valley location on February 10 from 5-9pm. Pickup only.

Join us for some festive fun with cookie decorating, crafts, games, prizes, and more! Everyone is invited so be sure to bring some friends!

Join us to give a 3-minute comment to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors (BOS). We need the Board of Supervisors to keep their commitment to sue DTSC for allowing a weaker cleanup. They haven’t taken any action and we’re worried the statute of limitations will run out.

3:30 pm (approximately) Public comments are at the end of the meeting, the meeting can go long. Be sure to sign up for text alerts.

• In person: 500 West Temple Street, Room 381-B, Los Angeles, CA 90012

• Virtually: Zoom (link not yet posted; updates here)

• Written: https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov

Comment Ideas (keep under 5 minutes):

• May 5, 2022: LA County Supervisors Kuehl and Barger introduce County motion directing LA County Counsel to work with other affected jurisdictions and nonprofits to explore potential legal action to ensure that the 2007 and 2010 agreements are carried out and a full cleanup is completed as soon as possible. The Board also directed the County’s legislative team to support legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure a full “cleanup to background” of the contaminated areas as outlined in the 2007 and 2010 Consent Orders.

• The Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) is a decision document, contrary to DTSC’s claims, as it limits how much soil can be cleaned up. Under the PEIR, only 10% of Boeing’s property, and 35% of NASA and the Dept. of Energy’s property will be remediated. The PEIR allows most of the dangerous contamination to stay onsite, permanently.

• The BOS has nothing to lose if they sue now, but if they wait they will miss the statute of limitations, leaving residents without any recourse against the dangerous PEIR decisions.

• Residents want the safest, strongest, and most comprehensive cleanup possible. The BOS must act now in order to protect the communities surrounding the site.

• Why the cleanup matters to you (your personal story)

Toxic (and radioactive) material was burned in the Area I Burn Pit for decades. Now DTSC wants to remediate the area but we need to make sure they clean up everything, do it in a safe manner, and dispose of the waste properly.

Read the DTSC Community Update here.

Join us to give a 3-minute comment to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors (BOS). We need the Board of Supervisors to keep their commitment to sue DTSC for allowing a weaker cleanup. They haven’t taken any action and we’re worried the statute of limitations will run out.

3:30 pm (approximately) Public comments are at the end of the meeting, the meeting can go long. Be sure to sign up for text alerts.

• In person: 500 West Temple Street, Room 381-B, Los Angeles, CA 90012

• Virtually: Zoom (link not yet posted; updates here)

• Written: https://publiccomment.bos.lacounty.gov

Comment Ideas (keep under 5 minutes):

• May 5, 2022: LA County Supervisors Kuehl and Barger introduce County motion directing LA County Counsel to work with other affected jurisdictions and nonprofits to explore potential legal action to ensure that the 2007 and 2010 agreements are carried out and a full cleanup is completed as soon as possible. The Board also directed the County’s legislative team to support legislation at the state and federal levels to ensure a full “cleanup to background” of the contaminated areas as outlined in the 2007 and 2010 Consent Orders.

• The Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) is a decision document, contrary to DTSC’s claims, as it limits how much soil can be cleaned up. Under the PEIR, only 10% of Boeing’s property, and 35% of NASA and the Dept. of Energy’s property will be remediated. The PEIR allows most of the dangerous contamination to stay onsite, permanently.

• The BOS has nothing to lose if they sue now, but if they wait they will miss the statute of limitations, leaving residents without any recourse against the dangerous PEIR decisions.

• Residents want the safest, strongest, and most comprehensive cleanup possible. The BOS must act now in order to protect the communities surrounding the site.

• Why the cleanup matters to you (your personal story)

Join dozens of cleanup supporters to alert the community (and press) about the upcoming DTSC Area 1 Burn Pit meeting. Please RSVP if you can attend!

When: Monday, November 6, 2023

Time: 4:30 - 5:30 pm (come even for 15 minutes)

Where: Tapo Canyon Road and Alamo Intersection, Simi Valley

Parking: TGIF parking lot

Kids are welcome to join. Bring posters or we’ll have some there.

Volunteers Needed!

• Face painters

• Spanish speakers

• General volunteers

Join Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab at our Dia De Los Muertos booth on Sherman Way in Canoga Park. We will have a zoom orientation, TBD.

Volunteering on Sunday, November 5th is a four-hour commitment in the morning or afternoon. Please sign up with your availability.

Sign up: https://forms.gle/nRCmqADAa88whKrVA

Join us Thursday, October 19th at 3:00 pm for a screening of “Downwind” at the Topanga Film Festival. Q&A will be moderated by our own Melissa Bumstead after.

Buy tickets: https://topangafilminstitute.org/thursday

Join us to give a 3-5 minute comment to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors (BOS). We need the Board of Supervisors to keep their commitment to sue DTSC for allowing a weaker cleanup. They haven’t taken any action and we’re worried the statute of limitations will run out.

8:30 am - 9:30 am (approximately)

• In person: County Government Center, Hall of Administration, Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 800 S. Victoria Avenue Ventura, CA 93009

• Virtually: Zoom (link not yet posted; updates here)

Comment Ideas (keep under 5 minutes):

• In 2022, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved partnering with Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles to consider litigation if the long-delayed cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Lab isn't as stringent as possible.

• The Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) is a decision document, contrary to DTSC’s claims, as it limits how much soil can be cleaned up. Under the PEIR, only 10% of Boeing’s property, and 35% of NASA and the Dept. of Energy’s property will be remediated. The PEIR allows most of the dangerous contamination to stay onsite, permanently.

• The BOS has nothing to lose if they sue now, but if they wait they will miss the statute of limitations, leaving residents without any recourse against the dangerous PEIR decisions.

• Residents want the safest, strongest, and most comprehensive cleanup possible. The BOS must act now in order to protect the communities surrounding the site.

• Why the cleanup matters to you (your personal story)

ONLINE Board of Supervisors Meeting

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks has gone to the bat for the complete SSFL cleanup hundreds of times over the years. She has been a fearless leader and we would have lost the cleanup years ago if it hadn’t been for her tireless dedication to protecting the wildlife, environment, and public health from the dangerous contamination at the Santa Susana Field Lab.

Register to comment virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6516140517478/WN_raIYcM3URnmkaPbPcm9elQ

Agenda: https://ventura.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=16235

SSFL Water Follow up

REGISTER IN ADVANCE

Join us and a panel of experts to discuss the water issues surrounding the Santa Susana Field Lab. This meeting will specifically correct and/or add to the information presented during Boeing’s “Expert Water Panel” meeting on November 17, 2022.

Experts and panel members will include:

• Melissa Bumstead and Jeni Knack, Parents Against SSFL

• Lawrence Yee, former chair of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

• Denise Duffield, Physicians for Social Responsibility

• Dan Hirsch, Committee to Bridge the Gap

I’m going to be honest with you. I can’t tell whose meeting we’re going to be protesting on November 17, 2022 in Simi Valley. The Boeing Company pays the salaries of the scientist on the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB)’s “Expert Panel.” 

The Expert Panel advises the LARWQCB about the contaminated rainwater that flows offsite from the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL), one of California’s most toxic sites and home to one of America’s worst nuclear meltdowns. The contaminated rainwater has radioactive waste, “forever chemicals,” and heavy metals like lead and arsenic. The rainwater flows into the Los Angeles River and Ventura County’s Calleguas Creek Watershed. The Calleguas Creek watershed is used for residential drinking water, crop irrigation, recreation, and reaches the Pacific Ocean. 

This is the same Expert Panel shown in the Emmy-nominated documentary In the Dark of the Valley. After the Woolsey Fire there were over 70 exceedances in the rain water… unsurprisingly, Boeing’s paid “Expert Panel” didn’t believe any of the radioactive or toxic contamination found in the water samples were from the Santa Susana Field Lab. 

These are the same scientists who will be presenting at a meeting on November 17th in Simi Valley. 

As far as we can tell, this isn’t a public meeting by the LARWQCB… we got the invite from Boeing…but why is Boeing hosting a meeting for an “independent” expert panel that work for the LARWQCB?

Boeing and the Water Control Board are so entangled it’s not just unethical, it’s protestable!
So join us! We need to let the general public know that there’s no chance this will be an honest, science-based meeting. This stinks of Boeing’s greenwashing and our protest will alert the public that they need to come to the meeting with their guard up and their critical-thinking caps on! And we’ll have a good time, we always do!

The Water Quality Control Board hearing will take place in-person and virtually.

What: Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board “MOU” hearing
When: Thursday, August 11, 2022
Time: Meeting starts at 10:00 am, public comment period likely to begin 1-2 hours after
In-person: City Hall 23920 Valencia Blvd., #120, Valencia, CA 91355
Virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LSbsCG2gT_C1925beCC7wQ 

TEXT ALERTS

The meeting begins at 10:00 am, but it can take 1-2 hours before the hearing will reach the comment period. We can text you 15 minutes prior to the comment period if you sign up for text alerts.

NEVER GIVEN A PUBLIC COMMENT IN A PUBLIC MEETING BEFORE?

If you need help with your comment or would like to practice with one of us over zoom, you can sign up here or use the script below.

“My name is __________________ and in live in _________________ city. 

I don’t want dangerous contamination from the Santa Susana Field Lab to get into ______________________ (pick one or both: Ventura County’s groundwater or the Los Angeles River). 

I care because _______________________ (pick one or more: I drink Ventura County water, I bathe my kids in Ventura County water, I kayak in the Los Angeles River, I fish in the local creeks, I surf at the beach, I eat produce grown in Ventura County, wildlife needs clean water, I care about Indigenous values, etc). 

That’s why I’m asking the Water Quality Control Board members to vote NO on Boeing’s M-O-U proposal and keep Boeing’s N-P-D-E-S permit in place instead. Thank you.”

QUESTIONS?

Email us at santasusanacampaign@gmail.com and we’ll try to get back to you as quickly as possible.

The Water Board has rescheduled the hearing to consider the Boeing “MOU” proposal:

• For members of the public who wish to comment in-person at the physical meeting location, it is highly recommended that you complete a speaker card in advance; please complete the online form available here: https://forms.office.com/g/A3FDAtT28m

• For those who wish to participate telephonically or virtually, please complete the Zoom registration form here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LSbsCG2gT_C1925beCC7wQ

• For those who wish to watch the meeting and/or comment with Spanish translation, additional information about Spanish translation services via the remote meeting solution is available here: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/board_info/remote_meeting/SpanishWebcast.pdf

Link from Water Board:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losangeles/santa_susana/SSFL_CompFramework.html

June 2, 2022

Location & time: TBD

Please plan now to take the day off, arrange childcare, or whatever is needed to join us. Location will be local, but exact location is currently unknown.

California EPA and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) have broken the cleanup promises at the Santa Susana Field Lab. Their 2022 agreement with Boeing dramatically weakens the 2007 cleanup that would make it safe enough for people to live nearby, have backyard gardens, and not get sick from eating the produce they grew there.

CalEPA and the DTSC have broken the 2007 agreement with Boeing about the Santa Susana Field Lab cleanup. The new agreement will leave hundreds of times more contamination than before.

When: May 11, 2022

7:30 - 8:30 PM (PST)

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Join us in the city of Avalon, on the island of Catalina, right off the coast of Long Beach! We’ll be screening the SSFL documentary, “In the Dark of the Valley,” from filmmakers Nicholas Mihm, Derek Smith and Brandon Smith.

When: Saturday, September 25th

Time: 3:00pm-5:00 pm

Where: ACC Theatre, 236 Metropole Ave, Avalon, CA 90704

Purchase Film Festival tickets: $15 for a “Live Venue” (1 Feature or Shorts Block): https://catalinafilm.org/ticket-window or the “Bronze Day Pass” for $99

Purchase Catalina Express Tickets: from the SAN PEDRO PORT Approx $76 per adult, round trip, parking not included. There is a return ferry at 11:55PM, specifically for the film festival but ONLY RETURNS TO THE SAN PEDRO PORT. https://www.catalinaexpress.com/port-long-beach/long-beach-port.html

Note: Costco has a promotional deal going on for the Catalina Express, check your local Costco for a gift certificate to get a $100 giftcard for only $80.

Optional Lunch:

Meet us for lunch at 1:30pm at Catalina Island Brewhouse where you can buy lunch and drinks and hang out with us. It’s casual outdoor dining, perfect for pre-documentary chillaxing. https://www.yelp.com/biz/catalina-island-brew-house-avalon?osq=Outdoor+Dining

Optional Film Festival Events:

5:00 - 7:00: Red Carpet Arrivals at the Avalon Theatre Location

7:00 - 9:30: 2021 Award Show & Closing Night Feature Film (Requires that you purchase the 1 day pass for $99)

9:30 - Friday Night Party (Requires that you purchase the 1 day pass for $99)

Predatory Delay. It’s a tactic that’s been used by CalEPA and DTSC against environmental justice communities like ours for decades. But we can’t wait any longer. Our children are dying.

Join us to protest the negligence and corruption of the two California agencies that were meant to protect us from radioactive and toxic contamination. After there will be an (optional) seminar about environmental justice at Cesar Chavez park.

Co-sponsors of the event include:

• Bayview Hunters Point Mothers and Fathers Committee

• California Environmental Justice Coalition

• Central California Environmental Justice Network

• Comite Civico del Valle

• Concerned Residents of Laytonville

• Del Amo Action Committee

• El Pueblo Para el Aire y Agua Limpia/People for Clean Air and Water of Kettleman City

• Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay

• Fresh Air Vallejo

• Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice

• Marin City Climate Resilience and Health Justice

• Occupy San Francisco Environmental Justice Working Group

• Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab

• Physicians for Social Responsibility- San Francisco Bay

• Richmond Progressive Alliance

• Richmond Shoreline Alliance

• Sunflower Alliance

• Social Justice Fund for Ventura County

• Tri-Valley CAREs

• Valley Improvement Projects

• West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!

DTSC Public Meeting

Click this URL to join https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81274104126 /

Meeting ID: 812 7410 4126.

Key Points to Make in Your Comment:

1. The Department of Energy (DOE) and DTSC are making a big deal about plans to demolish eight DOE buildings that DOE has always wanted to remove. However, DOE plans to leave behind the radioactive slabs, basements, vaults, and anything else that is below grade.

2. DOE still is refusing to clean up the soil contamination, which is by far the bigger problem. DOE & DTSC signed an agreement in 2010 to clean up all the contamination in the soil, to be completed by 2017. We are in 2020 and the promised soil cleanup hasn’t even begun.

3. DOE has announced (in its Final Environmental Impact Statement) that its preferred alternative is to breach the cleanup agreement and leave the great majority of the contaminated soil not cleaned up.

4. NASA in the last few weeks has likewise issued a “Record of Decision” saying it has “decided” to break its cleanup agreement and leave 84% of its contaminated acreage not cleaned up.

5. DOE has also just issued a “Record of Decision” to leave much of its contaminated groundwater not cleaned up (under the euphemism “natural attenuation”) and claims it, the polluter, not DTSC, its regulator, gets to decide how much of its pollution it will clean up.

6. The DOE-DTSC agreement on demolition of the upper parts of these 8 buildings also appears to breach the cleanup agreement, which requires all such “low level radioactive waste” (LLRW) to be disposed of in one of the 4 commercial licensed LLRW disposal sites in the country or at an authorized LLRW disposal site at a DOE facility. However, this agreement appears to allow waste from 4 of the buildings to be disposed of elsewhere, in violation of the agreement. DTSC is being evasive about where the waste would go, suggesting it would go to an unlicensed but somehow “authorized” site other than at a DOE facility or a commercial licensed LLRW site. This is important because it would violate the cleanup agreement and sites not licensed or designed to handle LLRW can result in its leakage into the environment.

7. Despite all these violations of the cleanup agreements by DOE and NASA, DTSC has taken no actions whatsoever to enforce the agreements.

PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THE THURSDAY MEETING AND SPEAK OUT, DEMANDING THE FULL CLEANUP PROMISED IN THE AGREEMENTS AND THAT THOSE AGREEMENTS BE VIGOROUSLY ENFORCED.