The Energy Department has drilled two open-borehole bedrock wells as it tries to gauge the extent of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater within Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in California.
The Energy Department is also seeking to determine if a VOC source exists at Building 4457, part of the Hazardous Materials Storage Area (HMSA), and is measuring the extent of underground bedrock fracturing in the area.
The Energy Department has already found trichloroethylene (TCE) located from 38 to 71 feet below ground surface. The agency is gathering the information on the VOCs, which can have long-term detrimental effects on human health, as the federal and state governments plan remediation at Santa Susana.
The drilling ran from late April into May, and DOE will submit a technical memorandum to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to outline its findings, according to a report to the state. The state agency is overseeing cleanup plans for Santa Susana.
The Energy Department owns structures on a 90-acre site within Area IV, within the larger property located in Ventura County. Area IV includes the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC), where the federal government did nuclear research and development from the 1950s until about 1988.
The drilling will help DOE gather information for a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation Report which will also be submitted to the state later this year.
The state agency discussed the borehole drilling in a May update on Santa Susana operations. The current goal is for DOE, Boeing, and NASA – the three parties responsible for remediation at the site – to submit cleanup documents to the state agency this year. California envisions actual remediation starting in 2019 and being completed in 2034.
Santa Susana is a 2,849-acre property located 30 miles from Los Angeles. In addition to the government nuclear research, the site was also used for rocket engine tests until the early 2000s.
