One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Feds Will Demolish 10 Buildings At Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Site Of 1959 Nuclear Meltdown
A 1956 photo captures the atomic reactor building at Santa Susana as it neared completion. (Valley Times Collection/Los Angeles Public Library Collection)
California has reached a deal with the federal government to remove 10 buildings from the contaminated Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura County.
The site used during the Cold War to test rocket engines and conduct nuclear research suffered a partial nuclear meltdown in 1959.
The location of the federally owned buildings on the Santa Susana site. (Department of Energy)
In a news release today, the state said the Department of Energy's removal of the buildings will prevent hazardous substances from being released into groundwater in the event of a fire followed by a heavy rain.
State officials say debris from the demolished buildings will be taken out of state for disposal.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement:
“The surrounding communities have waited a long time for decisive action at the Santa Susana Field Lab and today’s Order represents a new and important chapter towards the full cleanup.”
Sponsored message
The Energy Department, Boeing, and NASA share responsibility for cleanup of the laboratory. The Woolsey Fire, one of the largest recorded fires in L.A. County's history, burned a good portion of the site in 2018, raising questions then about possible contamination of the surrounding areas.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
- What Happened At The Santa Susana Nuclear Site During The Woolsey Fire?
- What Emergency Officials Got Right — And What Did Not Work — During Last Year's Monster Woolsey Fire
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
