Radioactively contaminated areas of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, Calif., were not hit by the Woolsey Fire last week, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) said Monday.
“Our staff were able to access the site Saturday morning and assess damage caused by the fire,” DTSC spokesman Russ Edmondson said by email. “We confirmed that the SSFL facilities that previously handled radioactive and hazardous materials were not affected by the fire.”
The state agency had said Friday certain areas of the 2,800-acre Santa Susana site had been burned by the fire has scorched nearly 100,000 acres in Southern California. The Los Angeles chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility said last week that smoke from the fire could spread radioactive or chemical contamination from SSFL.
The fire is no longer burning within SSFL. “All DOE facilities are untouched” at the site, the Energy Department said in a Monday statement online.
A multiagency team, which included DTSC personnel, took measurements of hazardous compounds in and around Santa Susana over the weekend. “The results from this initial round of testing showed no radiation levels above background levels, and no elevated levels of hazardous compounds other than those normally present after a wildfire,” Edmondson said.
The Energy Department used about 472 acres within the 2,800-acre site, including the Energy Technology Engineering Center, for research into nuclear power and liquid metal technology. The federal agency, along with NASA and Boeing, are responsible for cleanup of the Santa Susana site. The DTSC oversees their efforts.
A public comment period ended in October on cleanup plans for DOE’s Hazardous Waste Management Facility and the Radioactive Materials Handling Facility within Area IV at Santa Susana.
