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[DTSC] – The California Department of Toxic Substances Control  is overseeing upcoming activities to safely and effectively destroy Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) at the former Whittaker Bermite facility located at 22116 West Soledad Canyon Road, Santa Clarita. DTSC is the regulatory agency that has been overseeing the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances at the Site since 1983.

During the MEC surveys conducted by Whittaker’s contractors, a number of items were recovered that require demolition. These items are being temporarily stored at the Site and have been determined to be either potentially energetic (i.e., old powder) materials or materials that cannot be confirmed as safe and inactive and as such will need to be destroyed. Demolition operations will be conducted in the East Fork Landfill at the Site in accordance with the 2002 DTSC approved Remedial Action Workplan (RAW). The demolition area is located at the bottom of a box canyon, surrounded by steep hills. The nearest residential development is located over 4,400 feet from the demolition location and the nearest occupied building is located over 1,400 feet from the demolition location. Demolition operations will be conducted inside a temporary “blast pit”. Commercial explosives will be delivered to the Site on the day of the scheduled demolition. Once the items to be demolished are placed in the “blast pit”, they will be surrounded by explosives and the area will be filled with soil and tamped down. When this is complete the items will be detonated.

Work will begin on Monday, Oct.  3, 2016, and is expected to be completed in six (6) working days. Detonation will occur on October 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2016. All work will be conducted between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Community Protection Measures: The demolition operation planned at the Whittaker Bermite facility will be managed by Jay Ferguson, a Project Manager from Janus Global Operations. Mr. Ferguson has managed Munitions Response projects at this site for the past seven years and is a former Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer. He is also a Civil Engineering Officer in the 134th Air National Guard and recently returned from providing Project Management support on the Island of Guam. All work will be conducted in accordance with a site-specific health and safety plan. A site supervisor and a health and safety officer will be at the Site to oversee the work. Measures to protect the community during this period of work include soil sampling and air monitoring.

If you have questions about this project please contact:

–Jose Diaz, DTSC Project Manager, (818) 717-6614 or email: jose.diaz@dtsc.ca.gov

–Mary Sue Maurer, Public Participation Specialist, (818) 717-6566 or email: mary.maurer@dtsc.ca.gov

You may also visit the Whittaker-Bermite Envirostor website for information:
http://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/profile_report.asp?global_id=19281087