Closure of Waste Facility at Field Lab to Be Discussed

The Department of Energy and Boeing will hold a public meeting Monday to discuss plans to close a portion of a government-owned research complex at the aerospace giant’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

Discussion will center on the closure of a hazardous waste facility on the campus of the Energy Technology Engineering Center, a 90-acre complex on the sprawling site that was home to four decades of energy development research.

The waste facility was where metallic sodium, potassium and lithium waste was treated, said Boeing spokesman Dan Beck. Waste was then converted into a sodium hydroxide solution and disposed of off-site, he said.

As part of the closure, investigators will determine if any contamination remains in order to devise a cleanup operation, Beck said.

The public meeting is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. at the Boeing Recreation Center, 8500 Fallbrook Ave., in North Hills.