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The remnants of an old shooting range in the Simi Hills are the latest toxic polluters targeted for removal around the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, formerly known as Rocketdyne.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control has ordered the removal of lead from bullet, skeet, and clay pigeon fragments in the dirt around Sage Ranch Park.
The shooting range operated from the 1970s through the 1990s and was once frequented by Rocketdyne employees.
The contamination has forced the closure of the scenic Loop Trail to public access.
Meanwhile, a state ordered cleanup of the 1959 nuclear meltdown site, now owned by Boeing, remains stalled.
The aerospace company is paying for and planning the toxic soil removal at the shooting range under state supervision, and said in a statement it’s “pleased to be moving forward with the cleanup.”
Work is scheduled to start in August and the hope is for hikers to be able to return to the area by early next year.
