ROCKETDYNE WON'T MONITOR WATER; QUALITY CONTROL BOARD SAYS ONE-TIME SITE SAMPLE ENOUGH.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will not require Rocketdyne to monitor surface water discharged in an area where five 10-gallon canisters of chemical used in rocket propellant were discovered in November.

However, as a precaution, Rocketdyne will be required to take samples one time only of storm water run-off during the next heavy rain, according to Wayne Chiou, a Regional Water Quality associate engineer who inspected the site Wednesday.

``Anytime you have some contaminant that could be carried away by storm water, we have a concern,'' he said. ``But by now we believe the contaminant would be below the ground. So we won't ask them to spend the money for monitoring.''

The canisters were discovered in an area of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory where industrial operations ceased in 1994. Concern about lack of regulation at the site surfaced at a public hearing in December where Regional Water Quality officials discussed Rocketdyne's surface water discharge permit, which is now being reviewed.

Although regular surface water monitoring of the site will not be required by Regional Water Quality, last year the state Department of Toxic Substance Control requested Rocketdyne take soil samples from the area.

On Thursday, Penny Nakashima, a state hazardous substance scientist, confirmed that those samples were taken. But she did not know when the results would be available, and was unable late Thursday to contact anyone at Rocketdyne who could answer that question.

Rocketdyne spokesman Dan Beck declined comment, saying he had not yet heard from Water Quality Control officials.

``There are times when the facility will contact us when they receive results and ask if there's anything more they should do. But we haven't heard anything,'' he said.

If contaminants have been found in the soil samples from the site where decades of radioactive experiments were conducted, those test results would be included in a quarterly report due in May.

Otherwise, the results would not be available until the end of the year when a broader annual report of the field lab cleanup will be released, he said.

Last year, Beck said the canisters that contained an aluminum powder used in rocket propellant were in pretty good condition with no dents, punctures and very little rust.

One 16-ounce can containing petroleum jelly also was found. It is not known what the jelly was used for.

Chiou said his inspection of the site this week confirmed that there is now no industrial operation where the canisters were found.

``It's basically an abandoned area. We're not going to require any monitoring because there's nothing for surface water to pick up,'' he said.

He added that the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board is now reviewing Rocketdyne's surface water discharge permit to determine if tighter restrictions will be required before it is renewed later this year.