CONTAMINATION AT OLD FACTORY CALLED SPARSE : CLEANUP SET FOR 2,900-HOME PROJECT TOXINS FOUND AT 8 OF 76 FORMER BERMITE SITES.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Tests at the former Bermite munitions factory found toxic materials at eight of 76 sites examined for contamination, officials said Friday.

That clears the way for developers of a 2,900-home project to begin cleaning up the property in the fall.

``It's an important milestone,'' said James Schultz, director of business development for Simi Valley-based Whittaker Corp., which owns the 996-acre parcel in Saugus. ``We know what's in our back yard. There's nothing there that can't be remediated.''

Friday's announcement signals the end of the first phase of cleanup, which began in September and assessed the extent of contamination through water, soil and soil vapor samples.

The California Environmental Protection Agency, which is overseeing the cleanup, is expected to release a report Monday on its initial findings and hold a community meeting.

``We're getting close to wrapping up the remedial investigation,'' state EPA spokesman Pete Dufour said. ``We'll have something to tell the community about what we found.''

The site is on the south side of Soledad Canyon Road near the Saugus Speedway. The state EPA had initially identified 76 locations where toxic waste may have been handled, disposed of or buried, and where munitions may have burned or detonated.

Now 68 sites have been given a clean bill of health, Schultz said. The remaining eight sites show signs of hazardous chemicals such as red phosphorus, a reddish powder used in the manufacture of rat poison, safety matches and pyrotechnics; and solvents, flammable toxic substances used for paints, varnishes and other industrial cleaners.

Investigators also have found 30 mm shells containing low levels of uranium, Schultz said.

Whittaker hopes to begin cleaning three of the sites in the fall, but the bulk of the cleanup work on all eight sites wouldn't start until May 1998, Schultz said.

``We're very glad we narrowed it down,'' he said. ``Now we have to create a plan to clean up.''

In a signed agreement with the state EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control, Whittaker must perform the cleanup, scheduled for completion in 2001.

Since 1987, Whittaker has cleaned 13 of 14 sites earlier identified as areas where hazardous chemicals were treated, stored or discarded.

The last site contains trichloroethylene, a volatile organic compound used as an industrial degreasing agent, which is known to cause cancer.

Whittaker is developing the site with Marina del Rey-based Northholme Partners to build single-family homes, condominiums, town homes and a business park along with a main street area that will feature shops, restaurants and cafes.

Construction cannot start until the state EPA certifies that the site is free of hazardous materials.

At one point, the developers had hoped to start building by 1998 but state EPA officials said that's unlikely because of the time it takes to complete the cleanup.