The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered two aerospace companies to complete more than $21 million in cleanup work at a Superfund site near Hollywood Burbank Airport, the agency announced Wednesday.
Following two intense years of negotiation, Lockheed Martin Corp. and Honeywell International Inc. have agreed to expand groundwater treatment and do more groundwater contamination studies at the San Fernando Valley Area 1 Superfund site – a 20-square-mile area of contaminated groundwater located mostly in North Hollywood and Burbank, federal officials said.
RELATED STORY: North Hollywood Superfund site gets $1 million groundwater cleanup settlement Since 1989, roughly $250 million has been spent in the building and operating of Superfund remedies by a number of responsible parties, said Caleb Shaffer, the EPA’s section chief for Superfund Region 9.
“The bunching of these three orders really represent a significant upgrade and expansion in terms of the amount of contamination that would be captured.
Lockheed and Honeywell make up two of the larger parties that the EPA has worked with that are responsible for contamination at the site.
Honeywell must build four wells to extract contaminated groundwater on the western end of the North Hollywood site and build a treatment system for harmful volatile organic compounds to prevent further groundwater contamination, according to the EPA.
In addition, Lockheed Martin Corp. must design, build and operate wells to extract contaminated groundwater for the eastern portion of the North Hollywood site, according to the EPA.
Federal officials say the system, which will cost about $10 million and will be completed around 2020, will prevent the further spread of groundwater contamination.
LADWP has seven well fields near or within the San Fernando Valley Area 1 Superfund site.
Over the last decade, groundwater from the agency’s well fields has contributed to about 12 percent of the city’s water supply, according to the EPA.

Federal regulators ordered two aerospace companies to complete more than $21 million in cleanup work at a contaminated groundwater site near Los Angeles, according to a report.
The order Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ends two years of negotiations with Honeywell International and Lockheed Martin, the Daily News reported.
Both firms agreed to expand groundwater treatment and do more contamination studies at the 20-square-mile (50-square-kilometer) Superfund site encompassing parts of Burbank and North Hollywood.
Superfund sites are those that have been significantly contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as candidates for cleanup.
Airplanes and other machinery were built there during the last century.
Chemicals used as industrial solvents were found in the water supplies in 1980.
Since 1989, roughly $250 million has been spent in the building and operating of Superfund remedies by a number of responsible parties, said Caleb Shaffer, the EPA’s section chief for Superfund Region 9.
The remedies have resulted in the removal of more than 6,000 pounds of harmful volatile organic compounds at the site as well as the treatment of over 10 billion gallons of groundwater.
Lockheed and Honeywell make up two of the larger parties that the EPA has worked with that are responsible for the contamination.
Shaffer said they have both stepped up in good faith to address the issue.

Honeywell India and Safe Water Network on Tuesday launched their 75th safe water station, providing safe water access to more than 200,000 people in Telangana districts affected by groundwater contamination, including from fluorides.
This treated water complies with the Bureau of Indian Standards’ and World Health Organization’s water quality standards.
Unique technology interventions such as solar power, water ATMs, and remote monitoring system ensure uninterrupted and sustainable supply of clean drinking water.
Additionally, pressurised and automated can washer improves can washing leading to water safety.
Kurt Soderlund, CEO, Safe Water Network, said, “We are committed to ensure that communities have access to safe water, especially the poor.
This is an important step towards scaling-up safe water stations in Telangana.” Bharathi Hollikeri, IAS, District Collector, Medak District, Telangana, said, “Safe water stations in Medak district is empowering local community by providing safe drinking water access to over 50,000 people for their good health.
The price is affordable and the program is sustainable.
I appreciate Safe Water Network and Honeywell India for their commitment towards Medak community.” A series of activation events, including door-to-door consumer awareness, village-level meetings, live demonstrations of water quality, and the use of audio visuals, help raise awareness and drive safe water adoption.
Engagement at all levels of the targeted community for social, financial, and environmental sustainability ensure the continued success of the program.
It allows children to go to school every day, parents to work and improve living standards – it can transform lives.” Over the last two years, Safe Water Network and Honeywell India have set up safe water stations across Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal Rural, Warangal Urban, Jayashankar, Mahabubabad, Jagtiyal, Peddapalli, Badradri, Mancherial, Suryapet, Khammam, Medak, and Nalgonda districts.

75th Safe water station opened in Telangana.
Safe Water Network and Honeywell India on Tuesday launched their 75th water station, providing safe water access to more than 200,000 people in Telangana districts affected by groundwater contamination, including from fluorides.
They also announced that they will add 75 more safe water stations in 2018.
These locally-owned and locally-operated safe water stations deploy state-of-the-art six-step treatment process, including reverse osmosis and ultraviolet to purify water, they said in a statement here.
Unique technology interventions such as solar power, water ATMs, and remote monitoring system ensure uninterrupted and sustainable supply of clean drinking water.
The initiative has generated over 200 local livelihoods contributing to drudgery reduction amongst women.
"Safe water stations in Medak district is empowering local community by providing safe drinking water access to over 50,000 people for their good health.
The price is affordable and the program is sustainable," said District Collector Bharathi Hollikeri.
It allows children to go to school every day, parents to work and improve living standards – it can transform lives," said Honeywell India President Vikas Chadha.
ms/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

$220,000 state grant for Hoosick Falls water costs.
The grant was ushered through the public authority recently with support from Gov.
Andrew Cuomo’s office that said the money would need to be repaid only if the two companies blamed for the pollution reimburse the village for those costs.
The windfall for the village comes after the state Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously on a bill that would allow the village to issue bonds to help cover additional costs associated with the pollution.
A similar bill is pending in the Assembly.
The government assistance comes after the village Board of Trustees voted last month to fire the Glens Falls law firm that has billed Hoosick Falls more than $450,000 for its work on the water-contamination issues, including tens of thousands of dollars for public relations advice and processing Freedom of Information Law requests filed by news organizations.
The work included writing speeches for former Mayor David Borge and vetting his public testimony and "talking points" to reporters and at public hearings.
Saint-Gobain owns a manufacturing plant on McCaffrey Street that is a focus of the contamination.
The negotiations fell apart two months ago when the Village Board, facing intense public criticism, voted to indefinitely table the draft settlement agreement with Saint-Gobain and Honeywell.
The agreement was made public in December and touted by Borge and other village leaders as a way for the small community to recoup its out-of-pocket expenses The initial $850,000 settlement proposal brought public criticism, and the companies and village responded with a retooled deal in January that increased the one-time payment to $1.04 million.

Honeywell will have to face class claims for negligence, nuisance, trespass and medical monitoring in a New York water contamination case, the Northern District of New York ruled Feb. 6 ( Baker v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. , 2017 BL 34914, N.D.N.Y., No.
The ruling came in closely-watched litigation over pervasive PFOA contamination in the town’s water supply, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York wrestled with unsettled issues of New York tort law in its decision.
“This is a wonderful decision for the people of Hoosick Falls, who may now proceed with their lawsuit,” Robin Greenwald, of Weitz & Luxenberg in New York City told Bloomberg BNA Feb. 7.
“The court also invited the parties to appeal the decision, and we are presently considering our appellate options,” Pokedoff said in an e-mail.
Private water well owners also have a possessory interest in wells harmed by PFOA trespasses, and private nuisance claims may proceed because of the “special loss” well owners suffer from the installation of monitoring equipment, the court said.
It did, however, dismiss private nuisance claims brought by municipal water users.
Those plaintiffs presented public, rather than private, nuisance considerations, the court said.
Medical Monitoring Claims The companies also argued New York law barred medical monitoring claims brought by Baker and other plaintiffs with elevated PFOA levels, at least where there is no existing diagnosis.
There are “several complex and novel issues of New York law as to which the existing case law is significantly muddled,” and they warranted an immediate appeal of the order to the Second Circuit.
The law offices of Weitz & Luxenberg represented the plaintiffs.