Possible 2nd Perchlorate Site in Santa Clarita

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Feds Probe NTS for Perchlorate

March 31, 2004
Lila Campuzano
The Signal (Santa Clarita/Saugus, CA)


Federal environmental officials have opened an investigation into
suspected perchlorate contamination at National Technical Systems
Corp.'s Santa Clarita site, officials said Tuesday.

The NTS property is near the Whittaker-Bermite property and
investigators will be trying to determine the toxic chemical's source
and the depth to which the contamination may extend. Perchlorate is
known to contaminate the Whittaker-Bermite site and the groundwater
beneath it.

"This program is designed to monitor sites that may have slipped through
a safety net," said Matt Mitguard, site assessment manager for the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Problems with perchlorate containment
at NTS are "just a possibility," he said.

"These are fairly low-key investigations to see if there is extra
contamination emitting from the site," he said.

NTS officials at the firm's Calabasas office could not be reached for
comment Tuesday. A spokesman at the Santa Clarita facility said he knew
nothing about the investigation and could not comment.

Mitguard said the EPA, which has just begun its investigation, was
called in by officials from the California Department of Toxic
Substances Control after they discovered perchlorate on the NTS property.

...

for the entire story, see
http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=4401



--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org