Rocketdyne to Explode Shells at Field Lab Near Chatsworth

Rocketdyne officials received the go-ahead Wednesday to detonate 53 ordnance shells discovered over the past several weeks at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Chatsworth.

Bomb experts will begin destroying the shells as early as 8:30 a.m. today and expect to finish by midafternoon, said Dan Beck, spokesman for Rocketdyne.

The proposed detonations come nine months after bomb experts discovered and exploded three artillery shells at the site.

Rocketdyne officials discovered the other shells over a three-month period during an ongoing $55-million cleanup of contamination at the Santa Susana facility--located about two miles away from upscale San Fernando Valley homes in Bell Canyon.

Founded in 1947, the 2,668-acre field lab in the rugged hills between Chatsworth and Simi Valley was used as a site for nuclear and rocket engine research for the government. Under a contract with the Defense Department, Rocketdyne developed rocket propellants for artillery devices. Some of the ordnance used for that project are what authorities are now finding, Beck said.

The detonations have worried some area residents, who question what lingering health hazards the spent shells will pose for surrounding neighbors.

Among their concerns: Will the shells release toxic fumes into the air? Will the explosions scatter hazardous materials into the soil? Will the noise rattle, or even break, windows in nearby homes?

The answer is no to all of the above, said Beck.

“All we can do is offer the strongest reassurances to local residents,” he said. “In no way is their health, safety or property going to be impacted by what we will be doing.”

After discovering the shells, Rocketdyne officials asked the state Department of Toxic Substances Control for an emergency permit to detonate the rounds. The request was approved Wednesday.

Rocketdyne officials say they will take every precaution to mitigate any damage the explosions could cause--including detonating the shells in a bunker with an 8-foot-thick reinforced concrete wall and smothering the devices beneath sandbags. The shells will be exploded by remote control from a few thousand feet away. The ground and air surrounding the explosion site will be tested for contamination, Beck said. Despite the assurances from Rocketdyne officials, some field lab neighbors are still frightened the explosions will expose them to health risks.

“I’m still not satisfied,” said a nearby resident who asked not to be identified. “That doesn’t mean diddly-squat. There’s going be a certain amount leaking into the air I’m sure, even with sandbagging and such.”

Resident Jillian Walker said she wasn’t as concerned about the possible health risks as much as she was unhappy that many residents have not been notified about the planned explosions.

Rocketdyne did place notices in three area newspapers, but Walker feels not enough has been done to keep neighbors of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory apprised of its activities.

“We have a right to simply have information,” Walker said. “There are a lot of children in that neighborhood. We live 1.2 miles from Rocketdyne and we have a right to know what they are doing . . . .”

Rocketdyne officials say exploding the shells at another site is not an option because moving them is too risky.

“It stands to reason that any vehicle you put these things in is going to mean traveling on a bumpy road,” Beck said. “That’s certainly not as safe as storing them in a bunker, carefully moving them to a controlled area and then remotely detonating them through electronic devices.”