BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

By Michael Collins

Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat – July 22, 2004

The following new readings were recently taken from test sites on the Rocketdyne property. The devil is in the details.

B-1 jet testing area:
– solvent (PCE) in soils – 2,000 parts per billion (ppb)
– solvent (PCE) in soil gas – 3,400 ppb

IEL: Instrument/equipment lab:
– primarily solvents with highest level in soil gas: 5,000 ppb.
– Soils: TCE – min. 8 ppb, max 11,200 or 211 times the ‘preliminary remediation goal’ (PRG) of is 53 ppb
– TCE found in 77/136 samples
– 12 TCE samples exceeded ‘field action level’ (FAL)

Landfill: construction debris & soil/rock fill disposal:
– arsenic: detected in 69/75 samples, 7 over FAL; max of 7.3 ppm (parts per million) which is over 95 times the PRG of 0.39 ppm
– chromium: found in 75/75 samples, 2 over FAL; max of 448 ppm which is over double the PRG of 211 ppm
– lead: found in 73/75 samples, 5 over FAL; max of 3,300 ppm which is 22 times the PRG of 150 ppm

Laser Engineering Test Facility:
– mercury: detected in 16/51 samples, 8 over FAL; max of 31.7 ppm which is 106 times the FAL of 0.3 ppm

Building 359 – testing and perchlorate use:
– perchlorate: 34/90 samples positive, 34 over FAL; max of 71,290 ppb which is 9.11 times the PRG of 7821 ppb and 11,882 times over 6 ppb which is the State drinking water standard
– OCDD dioxin: 4/4 samples positive, 2 over FAL; max of 4,870 parts per trillion (ppt) which is 4.6 times the FAL.
– arsenic: detected in 93/103 samples, 21 over FAL; max of 32 ppm which is double the FAL and 82 times the PRG

Happy Valley – north:
– arsenic: detected in 79/80 samples with 63 over the FAL; max of 116 ppm which is 297 times the PRG of .39 ppm
– perchlorate: 140 ppb in soil leachate
– CTL-III – engine component testing:
– TCE: detected in 16/56 samples with 2 over FAL; max of 460 ppb which is 8.7x times the PRG
– Benzo(a)pyrene: detected in 14/44 samples with 3 over FAL; max of 12,000 ppb which is 193 times the PRG of 62.1 ppb
– Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene: detected in 10/44 samples with 3 over FAL; max of 5,400 ppb which is 8.7 times the PRG
– OCDD dioxin: detected in 20/21 samples with 3 over FAL; max of 6500 ppt which is 4.3 times the FAL

CTL-V – engine component testing:
– PCBs: up to 6,000 ppb

Canyon – large rocket engine testing:
-OCDD dioxin: _ samples; up to 944 ppt

Bowl Test Stand:
– elevated fuel hydrocarbons (soils): up to 28,000 ppm (diesel) with FAL of 1,000 ppb
– elevated PAHs in soil: benzopyrene up to 630 ppb with detection in 5/53 samples with all 5 over FAL; max of 630 ppb is 9.98 times the PRG of 63.1 ppb

ELV- former CTL II — in a catch pond where solvents were burned:
– TCE in soil up to 66,000 ppb
– Dioxins in soil up to 8,000 ppb
– Mercury in soil up to 17,000 ppm

R-1 Pond – surface water retention:
– Dioxin OCDD: max 1,300 ppt

SWMU – 4.17 Perimeter Pond:
– dioxin OCDD: max 1500 ppt, found in 2/2 samples triggering 1050 ppt FAL
– arsenic: max 19.9 ppm with PRG of .39 so 51 times PRG; found in 19/19 samples

(LOX)- liquid oxygen plant — elevated solvents in soil gas:
– TCE: 500,000 ppb or 500,000/.000017 = 29,411,764,705.88 TIMES THE PRG
– Vinyl Chloride: 1,200,000ppb
– Soils:
– TCE—up to 35,000 ppb
– Vinyl Chloride – up to 280 w/ PRG of 79.1

Alfa test stand – rocket engine testing:
– Soils:
– TCE up to 1,820,000 ppb
– TPH (diesel) up to 23,000 ppb
– Dioxins up to 2,400 ppt
– TCE soil vapor 65,000 ppb

CDFF: fuel farm & pond dredge:
– dioxins up to 22,000ppt
– hydrocarbons up to 10,000ppm

Coca & Delta test stands:
– TCE up to 50,000 ppb
– Vinyl Chloride in vapor up to 2,000 ppb

R-2 Pond:
– dioxins up to 12,400 ppt

Silverdale Reservoir — surface water:
– PCBs up to 660 ppb
– Dioxins up to 12,000 ppt

SRE – Sodium Reactor Experiment:
– Benzo(a)pyrene up to 15,000
– TCE up to 1,000ppb
– Mercury up to 35ppm

DU – coal gasification plant:
– benzo(a)pyrene up to 31,000 ppb
– PCBs up to 180 ppb