Exclusive 2019 Update: VICTORY AT THE VA – West LA Veterans Administration master plan protects old nuclear dump from development
The prolonged drought in Southern California has caused a continuing brush die-off in the heart of the Brentwood nuclear dump. Much of the mapped center of the known dumping areas is easier to see — sloping areas that weren’t tested in the VA Phase I testing of the eastern arroyo. “The average readings for the East Arroyo, West Arroyo, and the Brentwood School lower soccer fields were notably above the Control areas,” the Phase I report read.
These rubble-covered slopes, and what lies beneath them, may have to be excavated to remove nuclear and chemical contaminants because boring for samples would be impossible. Further south along the ridge, under and adjacent the southern field of the Barrington Dog Park, the land is debris-free and marked by a series of 18 mounds down the slope in the eastern arroyo.
Left to right: In a series of photos looking from north to south, the slopes of the eastern arroyo are seen underneath the southern baseball field of
the Barrington Recreational Center.
This photo shows the area underneath the southern field of the Barrington Dog Park where large dogs run.
Left to right: The slope continues past the dog park fence in a southerly direction and separates the east and west arroyos.
This photo
shows where the heart of the dump is situated above the mysterious mounds at the base of the steep incline. In 1983, extensive coring of the top
of this slope of land was done, with some samples excavated from borings as deep as nine feet. Nothing was found suggesting that the boring
either didn't go deep enough, was not extensive enough to cover the entire slope adequately, or both. Excavation of this area may be necessary.
Mysterious mounds lay at the bottom of the slope splitting the arroyos, and where maps say several areas of the dump are located
Brentwood
Theatre abuts the dump and is across the eastern arroyo from the 18 aligned mounds. Atop the theatre is an old nuclear attack siren.
This crescent-shaped mound near the center of the eastern arroyo is associated with Brentwood School debris excavated during the construction
of its athletic complex with numerous fields.
The flags are from Phase I testing conducted in December 2006. Over 5,600 pages of VA documents
revealed that this arroyo was filled with over 5,000 truckloads of fill since the 1948 to 1968 nuclear and chemical dumping which would make
properly characterizing them and excavating them more laborious than previously thought.
The VA has not said if it told the Phase I contractor that
it was essentially testing fill dirt during the three-day in-field inspection called inadequate by critics.
Brentwood School's southern athletic field shares a fence with the eastern arroyo and, ironically, has a No Trespassing sign affixed to it.
Soccer balls from adjacent MacArthur Field, far right, are sometimes kicked into the eastern arroyo area of the dump.
On this day, they were easily retrievable despite the
warning signs.
EnviroReporter.com has discovered radioactive glass and 'hot' syringe at the site which have notably higher radiation readings than normal background.
Exclusive 2019 Update: VICTORY AT THE VA – West LA Veterans Administration master plan protects old nuclear dump from development
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