Cleaning up Rocketdyne

For decades, Rocketdyne’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory operated mostly with impunity as it dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic tricholoethylene (TCE) in the hills above Simi Valley. There was little oversight as the Boeing-owned rocket engine and nuclear testing facility allowed the TCE and equally nasty perchlorate chemical to seep into the bedrock and pollute the groundwater for who knows how many miles around.

In those days, between the 1950s and 1980s, the threat of the deadly cancer-causing cocktail coming into contact with homes and drinking water remained limited, but with Simi Valley’s burgeoning growth, the danger has exploded to the surface. Perchlorate, for example, the main ingredient in rocket fuel, was found to exist in the well water of Ahmanson and Runkle ranches.

First of all, it boggles the mind to think that anyone would want to live in such proximity, but then again, Southern California’s housing market remains white hot. People will take would they can get, and developers, when left to their own devices, will try to build anywhere. It’s imperative that our local governments—despite their reputation for being heavy-handed at times—take a leading role in making sure the Rocketdyne cleanup continues unabated.

The recent decision by the Ventura County board of Supervisors requiring developers to test for toxic chemicals before building within a two-mile radius was a step in the right direction. Supervisor Linda Parks led the charge.

Although the Rocketdyne rehabilitation has been underway for years, the state has been inconsistent with regard to a firm testing and cleanup policy. The board of supervisors, which took heavy criticism for initially approving Ahmanson Ranch in 1992, stepped up and redeemed itself by enacting the new measure protecting Rocketdyne.

Keep development in the area to a minimum, encourage the continued chemical cleanup and someday, maybe, our Simi Hills will be pristine again.