Waste Runoff From Field Lab Probed

A federal grand jury is investigating water pollution from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Simi Valley, according to Boeing Co., which owns the site.

A Boeing official confirmed Tuesday that a grand jury demanded documents last month relating to storm-water and wastewater discharges from the 2,900-acre hilltop site, where nuclear and rocket testing has been conducted for more than 55 years.

State water regulators last week ordered Boeing to stop allowing discharges that exceed federally allowable levels and to clean up the sources of contamination.

The Regional Water Quality Control Board notified Boeing in March and again in October that in nearly 50 instances, it allowed too much contaminant, including chromium, mercury, dioxins and chlorine, to flow from its property.

Runoff from the lab flows into 12 creeks and rivers, including Bell Creek, a tributary of the Los Angeles River, and the Arroyo Simi, Calleguas Creek and Mugu Lagoon in Ventura County.

“Boeing remains fully committed to this cleanup and will continue to cooperate with the authorities and work with the regulatory agencies,” said Inger Hodgson, Boeing’s environmental communications manager. The company maintains that the standards set by the board are more stringent than allowable standards for drinking water, and that the runoff poses no threat to public health.

Jonathan Bishop, executive officer of the regional water board, said his agency intends to issue a preliminary cease-and-desist order against Boeing later this week to force the company to get its water runoff back within acceptable levels.

“When we issue a permit, we include effluent limits to protect the uses of that water. And we expect anyone who is discharging will meet their limits. If not, we’ll take appropriate enforcement actions,” Bishop said.

Exceeding water-quality limits could subject Boeing to fines of $3,000 to $10,000 for each violation.

During the five years the company operated under its former state discharge permit, it was fined for 13 violations of water-quality standards.

The field lab used to be owned by Rocketdyne, which became a subsidiary of Boeing, but in February, Boeing sold the rocket-manufacturing business and the name to United Technologies for $700 million. The lab was not part of that sale.