BURBANK : Vapor Pollutant Plan Proposed as Cleanup

A controversial proposal to pump 9.8 pounds of contaminants a day into the air is perhaps the best way to clean up one of the largest vacant land parcels in Burbank, according to a team of consultants hired by the city.

But residents living near the 90-acre site owned by the Lockheed Martin Corp. may still be at significant risk of contracting cancer unless the cleanup effort is continually monitored, among other things, the experts said.

Their conclusions were announced Tuesday as the Burbank City Council agreed to move forward with a comprehensive environmental study to determine past, present and future health risks associated with Lockheed’s former B-1 plant site.

Located at 1705 Victory Place, near Burbank Airport, the property was used to build military aircraft for 63 years. As a result, contaminants such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform and methylene chloride seeped into the ground, preventing development of the land.

Lockheed has proposed building a $13.7-million “vapor extraction system” of wells, pipes and filters that would treat potentially cancer-causing substances in the soil and pump those vapors into the air.

Despite reassurances that the chance of getting cancer is minimal even with maximum exposure to the site, many residents protested last year.

As many as 1,250 people joined a lawsuit against Lockheed, seeking unspecified damages for lost property values and increased health risks. Some of those residents also urged the City Council to hire consultants to study the project further. But when consulting firms Dames & Moore and the Peartree Group gave their final reports Tuesday, the news was met with silence.

According to attorney David Casselman, who is handling the Lockheed suit, his clients have agreed to avoid discussing their concerns publicly until a settlement is reached, or risk jeopardizing chances of being financially compensated.

An environmental impact report on the project is expected to take the city of Burbank five to 10 months to complete.