GROUNDWATER STUDY ORDERED FOR EX-MUNITIONS SITE : STATE EPA DEMANDS REVIEW AS PART OF CONTAMINATION CLEANUP.Byline: Amy Collins Daily News Staff Writer The state's Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and has ordered a groundwater study as part of the contamination cleanup project at the former Bermite munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. factory in Saugus. When the 996-acre site is certified as clean, construction can begin on the 2,900-home Porta Bella project, which will include a business park and main street-style commercial area with shops, restaurants and cafes. The state EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control announced Thursday night at a community workshop in Newhall that the groundwater tests are necessary and that further testing and cleanup is needed at 16 of the 18 sites the property owner, Whittaker Corp., said required no further work. ``Considering the contamination on the site, there is a potential for groundwater contamination,'' said Ron Baker Ronald Baker (born November 19, 1954 in Gary, Indiana) was a former American football offensive lineman between 1978 and 1988 for the Baltimore Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. He played college football at Oklahoma State University. , a spokesman for the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Jeff Lambert, the planning director for the city of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , said Friday that commencement of construction on Porta Bella has been pushed back by six months. Baker said it could be longer because of all the variables. ``We're actually at the very, very beginnings of the investigation to find out what is contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. at the site,'' he said. ``It's very difficult to speculate on how long it's going to take.'' The state EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. originally said the property, located south of Soledad Canyon Road near Saugus Speedway, had 76 locations where toxic waste toxic waste is waste material, often in chemical form, that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It usually is the product of industry or commerce, but comes also from residential use, agriculture, the military, medical facilities, radioactive sources, and may have been handled, disposed of or buried, or where munitions may have been disposed of or buried. Baker said testing so far has concentrated on ground samples that usually only determine toxicity 4 to 5 feet deep. Because of the varied nature of the soils, it's possible to have contaminated water in the aquifer below clean soil. Representatives of Whittaker Corp. did not return calls seeking comment Friday. The property owner and the state EPA are in the process of preparing a report on the cleanup. When that is complete, a feasibility study "A Feasibility Study" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 April, 1964, during the first season. It was remade in 1997 as part of the revived The Outer Limits series with a minor title change. and an action plan will be prepared and circulated for public comment. State officials will then respond to the public comments and give Whittaker the specific cleanup plan. Baker said the Porta Bella development will not be allowed to begin piecemeal until the entire Bermite site is declared safe. ``We intend to certify the entire site before we will allow any development to occur,'' he said. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion