Businesses Agree to Plan for Ground-Water Cleanup

Lockheed Martin Corp. and other businesses have agreed to pay $60 million as part of a 20-year commitment to clean contaminated ground-water supplies under the city.

Though the parties admitted no wrongdoing as part of a settlement with federal and state authorities, they signed off on plans to fund operation of the Burbank ground-water treatment plant for at least two decades.

“We approved it some time ago and apparently the Environmental Protection Agency has given their final approval,” Burbank City Atty. Dennis Barlow said Wednesday. “But the most important thing is that the ground water is being cleaned up.”

Built as a result of a consent decree in 1992, the plant, run by Lockheed Martin, filters ground water tainted by chemicals used during more than 60 years of defense manufacturing work. The businesses left the site in the early 1990s and were ordered by the EPA to remove the contaminants.

If the plan is approved by a federal judge, Lockheed Martin and others would pay $48 million to maintain and operate the plant, south of Burbank Airport. Beginning in 2000, the facility would be owned and run by the city of Burbank, with Lockheed Martin and the other businesses continuing to pay the cost.

The remaining $12 million includes reimbursement costs for the state and federal governments. The Burbank agreement covers only a portion of the San Fernando Valley Groundwater Basin Superfund site, according to Staci Turner of the state attorney general’s office.

“This is part of the company’s long-term commitment to cleaning up the environment,” said Gail Rymer, a spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, Md. “It’s also to ensure safe water for the residents.”