SSFL Contaminated water

Water Issues Online town hall

Special Guest: Michael Rincon, Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles

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Water Summary

  • The SSFL sits on a plateau, so contaminated water from the site naturally wants to flow down to the communities in the valleys below. SSFL Elevation Range: 2,245-1,175 feet.

  • Contaminated water from the SSFL impacts Bell Creek, Dayton Creek, Runkle Canyon, the Los Angeles River, the Simi Arroyo, Ventura County’s Calleguas Creek Watershed and the Pacific Ocean.

  • The Calleguas Creek Watershed is used for drinking water, crop irrigation, recreation, fishing, it supports wildlife, and is sacred to local Indigenous Tribes.

  • An NPDES permit regulates how much contamination can flow offsite during rain events, however, the limits are regularly exceeded. Boeing has been fined over $1M for NPDES violations at the SSFL.

  • There are 310 historically documented chemicals of concern at the Santa Susana Field Lab. Only 35 of these are currently being limited by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board under Boeing’s NPDES permit.

  • One of Boeing’s solutions to avoid NPDES fines is to prevent contamination from running offsite during storms by directing the surface water into unlined ponds so that it can percolate into the groundwater. Boeing’s Draft NPDES permit reads, “Once groundwater basins are contaminated, it may take years to clean them up depending on the pollutants. Compared to surface water pollution, investigation and remediation of groundwater are often more difficult, costly, and extremely slow.” The NPDES permit doesn’t regulate groundwater, it’s currently not an important issue for the DTSC who does.

  • According to CalEPA in 2007: Trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected in 355 of 425 wells sampled at the SSFL. Highest concentration detected was 110,000 parts per billion. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment lists the public health goal for TCE in drinking water at 0.0017 parts per billion.

  • Recent estimates indicate that over 500,000 gallons of trichloroethylene (TCE) were discharged to the ground at the SSFL site during its operation, resulting in contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater. (2007 Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report SSFL California PDF page 11)

  • The SSFL groundwater discharges to the surface water at 28 spring/seep locations. Recent data indicated that TCE has been detected at one of the spring/seep locations. The SSFL site and surrounding land support habitat for endangered and threatened species. (2007 Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report SSFL California PDF page 15)

  • The SSFL has the potential to discharge approximately 187 million gallons per day of stormwater runoff that may contain pollutants from the facility. (NPDES Permit Proposal, PDF page 197).

Boeing's NPDES

Read our comments on the 2023 NPDES permit

In 2022 the Boeing Company, which owns 80% of the SSFL, filed for an updated National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. In the permit only 35 of the +300 chemicals of concern were proposed to be regulated and the two main discharge sites (known as outfalls) didn’t incur any fines, which removed the incentive for Boeing to stop polluting the LA River and Ventura County’s Calleguas Creek Watershed.

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Water Pathways

water impacted by SSFL contamination:

  • Ground water at the SSFL

  • Well water in communities surrounding the SSFL

  • Drinking water in Simi Valley and the Calleguas Creek Watershed

  • Water used for agriculture in Calleguas Creek Watershed

  • The Chatsworth Aquifer

  • The Los Angeles River

  • The Pacific Ocean

2007 Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report Santa Susana Field Laboratory Simi Valley, California

  • TCE is the contaminant present in the largest quantity throughout all of the SSFL sources. Estimates indicate that up to 800,000 gallons of TCE were used during the engine flushing procedures. Cooling and rinse water containing TCE entered the surface impoundments, ultimately resulting in contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater. Recent estimates indicate that over 500,000 gallons of TCE were discharged to the ground at the SSFL site during its operation (PDF page 11)

  • A release of TCE to the groundwater beneath the SSFL site is documented. The groundwater discharges to the surface water at 28 spring/seep locations. Recent data indicated that TCE has been detected at one of the spring/seep locations. The SSFL site and surrounding land support habitat for endangered and threatened species. (PDF page 15)

2012 EPA Santa Susana Field Laboratory Radiological Characterization of Soils

  • Surface water drainage in the northern portion of the [SSFL] Area IV flows north into Meier Canyon, which is a tributary to the Arroyo Simi, flowing westward and terminating in the Pacific Ocean. (PDF page 15)

  • Drainage of the majority of the [SSFL] Area IV flows to the southeast into the Bell Creek drainage system… Bell Creek is the headwater and tributary of the Los Angeles River, which flows south and eastward terminating in the Pacific Ocean. (PDF page 15)

  • Water sampling program determined… surface water does flow to [Runkle Canyon]. (PDF page 15)

  • Starting in 1984, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) began issuing surface water discharge permits to the SSFL under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). From 1998 through 2006, discharges from the SSFL have continually exceeded effluent limits for dioxin, heavy metals, and other pollutants.

2006 UCLA Study “Potential Offsite Exposures Associated with the SSFL

  • Groundwater monitoring studies have revealed significant groundwater contamination at the SSFL site, above health-based standards and regulatory levels… There is also concern that chemicals and radionuclides have migrated away from SSFL via both groundwater and surface water pathways.

  • Groundwater elevations at the SSFL site are significantly higher than elevations at Simi and San Fernando Valleys, with groundwater emerging from a number of springs and seeps in the canyons leading from the site into the valleys (page 66)

  • Two drainage channels at the SSFL join to form the headwaters of Bell Creek. Chemical contamination in the Bell Creek Headwaters has been reported above EPA health-based standards. (page 66)

  • Surface water and groundwater flow towards lower elevations in the north (Simi Valley), east (San Fernando Valley), and south (Bell Canyon). (page 68)

  • Because of the low precipitation level in the region, there are only intermittent surface water runoff flows downhill from SSFL; this has resulted in limited offsite runoff water sampling, thereby preventing sufficiently detailed chemical and radiological characterization of surface water runoff. (page 68)

  • Exposure to groundwater can take place if groundwater is used for irrigation of edible crops, or as a source of drinking water for people or livestock. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the locations of groundwater wells and groundwater use around SSFL. (page 74)

  • In various offsite locations, groundwater contaminants have been detected at levels above health based standards (see Table 4-1 and Figure 4-3). The detection of contaminants associated with SSFL off site, within 1 to 2 miles, suggests that—if these contaminants have originated from SSFL—migration pathways must exist. These pathways include surface water runoff (controlled and natural) in the northwest and south, as well as migration via groundwater in the northeast and northwest. Migration via surface water away from the site is associated primarily with man made channels, although natural surface flow can also take place during periods of heavy rainfall. (page 70)

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Golden State Water

Although the contamination at the Santa Susana Field Lab impacts many important water resources, Boeing is fighting against their 2007 cleanup agreements to completely remediate the groundwater.

Boeing claims that no one drinks the water, so they shouldn’t have to clean is as thoroughly as if it were, but that’s false.

30% of Simi Valley residents (approximately 45,000 people) drink partial well water from Golden State Water Company. The well water is so contaminated with perchlorates that is must be mixed with imported water in order to meet California maximum contamination limits.

After a meeting with GSW we were told that they have only tested for tritium (radioactive water) twice in the last twelve years, even though tritium is a well-known contaminante from the SSFL.

“Golden State Water Company operates two municipal drinking water wells (Niles Well and Sycamore Well) that are located between a 3-4 mile radius to the northwest of the SSFL site. The groundwater is blended [to meet California maximum contamination limits] at the Niles Blending Station with the Calleguas Municipal Water District… Although TCE has not been detected in the Golden State Water Company municipal drinking water supply, the above population may be subjected to potential future contamination from the SSFL site…” 2007: Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report Santa Susana Field Laboratory Simi Valley, California, Page 8

“… Groundwater samples obtained from the aforementioned [GSW] wells, perchlorate and trichloroethylene (TCE), with concentrations of less than Maximum Contaminant Limit and Detection Limit but equal to or greater than “trigger” levels, have been reported (California Department of Health Services files).” Dr. Ali Tabidian, "Land-use conversion and its potential impact on stream/aquifer hydraulics and perchlorate distribution in Simi Valley, California, page 32

“…It is apparent that hazardous waste constituents have migrated from the unlined pond at the Sodium Disposal Facility… and Chatsworth Formation groundwater system… migration is likely to continue…. early evaluation and evidence of groundwater contamination beneath the SSFL site suggest that there is a high likelihood that migration of contaminants, from leaky surface impoundments, has contributed to groundwater contamination.” Potential for Offsite Exposures Associated with SSFL: Chapter 4: Water, page 64

<h2 id="Woolsey">Woolsey Fire Water Contamination</h2>

Heavy rains after the 2018 Woolsey Fire flushed contamination from the soil into the groundwater. The rain runoff was measured and Boeing was cited for violating the maximum contamination limits 57 times. However, as the Los Angeles Water Board allowed Boeing to pay the salaries of their “expert witness panel” of scientists, they were unable to link any of the contamination in the water to the SSFL, and Boeing wasn’t fined for the contamination.

> Read the Woolsey Fire Report by Committee to Bridge the Gap

Contaminants of concern

500,000 Gallons TCE

Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection Report Santa Susana Field Laboratory Simi Valley, California

TCE is the contaminant present in the largest quantity throughout all of the SSFL sources. Estimates indicate that up to 800,000 gallons of TCE were used during the engine flushing procedures. Cooling and rinse water containing TCE entered the surface impoundments, ultimately resulting in contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater. Recent estimates indicate that over 500,000 gallons of TCE were discharged to the ground at the SSFL site during its operation. (PDF page 11)

An observed release of TCE to the groundwater beneath the SSFL site is well documented. Analytical data indicate that both the shallow aquifer and the deeper Chatsworth Formation aquifer have been contaminated with TCE. Although other volatile organic compounds, such as trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, Freon-113, toluene, and benzene, also have been detected, TCE is the compound detected with the highest concentration and greatest frequency. (PDF page 12)

TCE is not a naturally occurring substance and should not be present at background concentrations… The groundwater beneath the SSFL site continues to remain contaminated with TCE, with current data indicating concentrations as high as 110,000 ppb (State and Federal drinking water limits of 5 ppb). This release is attributable to the SSFL site because TCE has been used extensively throughout its operational history. (PDF page 14)

Perchlorate

According to CalEPA in 2007: Perchlorate was detected in 56 of 277 wells at the SSFL. The highest concentration was measured at 1,600 parts per billion. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment lists the public health goal for perchlorate in drinking water at 0.001 parts per billion.

Forever CHEMICALS

PCBs and PFAS: Study pending by NASA

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Further Reading