83 FR 52570 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for NASA Groundwater Cleanup Activities at Santa Susana Field Laboratory

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 201 (October 17, 2018)

NASA has prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) for groundwater cleanup activities detailed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Demolition and Environmental Cleanup Activities at Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura County, California. The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) Groundwater ROD can be found at https:// ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 201 (Wednesday, October 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52570-52571]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22660]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[18-073]


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for NASA 
Groundwater Cleanup Activities at Santa Susana Field Laboratory

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Record of Decision (ROD).

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SUMMARY: NASA has prepared a Record of Decision (ROD) for groundwater 
cleanup activities detailed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for Proposed Demolition and Environmental Cleanup Activities at Santa 
Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura County, California. The Santa Susana 
Field Laboratory (SSFL) Groundwater ROD can be found at https://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Zorba, SSFL Project Director, by 
email at [email protected]. Additional information about 
NASA's SSFL site, the proposed demolition and cleanup activities, and 
the associated planning process and documentation (as available) may be 
found on the internet at https://ssfl.msfc.nasa.gov or on the 
California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) website at 
https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/Santa_Susana_Field_Lab/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

SSFL Site Background

    The SSFL site is 2,850 acres located in Ventura County, California, 
approximately 7 miles northwest of

[[Page 52571]]

Canoga Park and approximately 30 miles northwest of downtown Los 
Angeles. SSFL is composed of four areas known as Areas I, II, III, and 
IV and two unnumbered areas known as the ``undeveloped land.'' NASA 
administers 41.7 acres within Area I and all 409.5 acres of Area II. 
The Boeing Company (Boeing) manages the remaining 2,398.8 acres within 
Areas I, III, IV, and the two undeveloped areas.
    Since the mid-1950s, when SSFL was administered by the U.S. Air 
Force, this site has been used for developing and testing rocket 
engines. All NASA rocket and component testing was completed in 2006. 
Four test stand complexes were constructed in Area II between 1954 and 
1957 named Alfa, Bravo, Coca, and Delta. These test stand areas along 
with the Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Plant portion of Area I were acquired by 
NASA from the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s.
    Previous environmental sampling on the NASA-administered property 
indicates that contaminants are present in groundwater beneath the 
site. NASA's proposed cleanup actions are summarized in the Groundwater 
Cleanup ROD.

Environmental Commitments and Associated Environmental Review

    Rocket engine testing has been discontinued at these sites and the 
property has been excessed to the General Services Administration 
(GSA). GSA has conditionally accepted the Report of Excess pending 
certain environmental cleanup requirements are met.
    In 2007, a Consent Order among NASA, Boeing, the U.S. Department of 
Energy, and DTSC was signed addressing demolition of certain 
infrastructure and environmental cleanup of SSFL. NASA entered into an 
Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) for Remedial Action with DTSC on 
December 6, 2010, ``to further define and make more specific NASA's 
obligations with respect to the cleanup of soils at the Site.'' Based 
on the 2010 Order, NASA is required to complete a federal environmental 
review pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and NASA 
Procedural Requirement (NPR) 8580.1.
    NASA published a Final Environmental Impact Statement for 
demolition of site infrastructure, soil cleanup pursuant to the AOC, 
and groundwater remediation within Area II and a portion of Area I 
(former LOX Plant) of SSFL on March 14, 2014 (79 Federal Register 
14545). NASA subsequently issued a ROD for building demolition on April 
23, 2014. The Associate Administrator for Mission Support Directorate 
signed the Groundwater Cleanup ROD on October 4, 2018, which 
constitutes the final decision by NASA for groundwater cleanup at SSFL.

Cheryl E. Parker,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-22660 Filed 10-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7510-13-P