FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and what work is done there?

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development facility owned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and managed by the California Institute of Technology.  Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, JPL performs research and development for NASA’s robotic exploration of the universe. The highly successful Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are among the many NASA spacecraft developed at and operated by JPL scientists and engineers.  In addition to its work for NASA, JPL conducts tasks for other federal agencies in areas such as remote sensing and astrophysics.  For more information on JPL visit the NASA JPL website at http://jpl.nasa.gov.

Where is JPL located?

JPL is located between La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena.  The map at Fig. 1 shows the location and boundaries of the JPL site.  The surrounding area is primarily residential with some light commercial operations.  The site is bordered by the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, an equestrian club to the southwest, a fire station to the south, residential neighborhoods to the west, and the Arroyo Seco and residential neighborhoods to the east and southeast.  JPL is located in the Raymond Basin watershed, which serves as a source of drinking water for several communities in the area.  Using data from the 2000 United States Census, it is estimated that approximately 44,000 people reside within a three-mile radius of JPL. 

Figure 1.  Map showing location and boundaries of JPL.

How did chemicals get into the groundwater beneath and near JPL and in soil beneath JPL?

In the past, liquid and solid wastes that were collected from JPL drains and sinks were disposed of in underground, brick-lined seepage pits – a waste management practice that was accepted and common in the 1940s and 1950s.  Some chemicals that were disposed of in the ground during those decades were later found in the soil at JPL and in the groundwater hundreds of feet beneath the surface.  

What chemicals have been found in the soil and groundwater, and in what concentrations? 

The process of determining what chemicals were in the soil and groundwater began in the early 1980s with preliminary site investigations.  The evaluation was expanded in 1992 when JPL was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) of sites governed by the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). 

Site investigation and cleanup must follow the federal CERCLA process, which requires rigorous investigations and evaluations.  The clean up program at JPL has been divided into  three parts referred to as “operable units”  (OUs): OU-1 (on-facility groundwater), OU-2 (on-facility soil) and OU-3 (off-facility groundwater). 

The types and levels of chemicals found in soil beneath JPL are summarized in the OU-2 Record of Decision (ROD) (http://jplwater.nasa.gov/NMOWeb/AdminRecord/docs/NAS710027.htm) which details the final remedial action for soil cleanup.  Several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in soil beneath the JPL facility including carbon tetrachloride (CTC), freon 113, trichloroethene (TCE), and dichloroethene (DCE). 

NASA began cleaning up soils in 1998 and after nine years of soil vapor extraction and soil vapor monitoring work, the clean up was considered complete.  After conducting confirmation monitoring, NASA issued a Final Remedial Action Report for OU-2 (http://jplwater.nasa.gov/NMOWeb/AdminRecord/docs/NAS710423.PDF) documenting the completion of cleanup activities for that project.

The types and levels of chemicals found in groundwater beneath JPL and beneath areas adjacent to JPL are summarized in the OU-1 and OU-3 Interim Records of Decision, dated December 2006 and August 2007, respectively.  Primary chemicals of interest that have been detected include VOCs (including carbon tetrachloride (CTC), trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethane, and tetrachloroethene) and perchlorate.  NASA has a groundwater monitoring program in place that evaluates the levels of chemicals at over 80 different locations to evaluate their extent and movement.  Groundwater monitoring reports are issued quarterly and can be found at http://jplwater.nasa.gov/NMOWeb/AdminRecord/ADMIN_KeyDocuments.asp.

What is CERCLA?

Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as the Superfund law, in 1980.  CERCLA was established to help identify sites adversely affecting the environment, ensure that they are cleaned up to comply with applicable regulations, evaluate damages to natural resources, and identify responsible parties to pay for the cleanup.. The 1986 Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) amended CERCLA and required that federal facilities comply with CERCLA. It stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites, provided new enforcement authorities and settlement tools, and encouraged greater citizen participation in making decisions on how sites should be cleaned up. 

To govern cleanups at federal facilities, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the U.S. EPA signs a formal agreement with the federal agency that owns or manages the facility for that agency to take the lead on the cleanup of the site. This document is called a Federal Facilities Agreement. NASA’s JPL Federal Facilities Agreement can be viewed at http://jplwater.nasa.gov/NMOWeb/AdminRecord/docs/NAS70753.PDF.  For more information on CERCLA please see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/policy/cercla.htm

What are volatile organic compounds ((VOCs)? 

VOCs are a group of chemical compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that evaporate, or volatilize, easily. VOCs have been widely used in industry, primarily as cleaning solvents. VOCs are contained in adhesives, paint removers, and dry cleaning fluids among other commonly used applications.

What is perchlorate?

Perchlorate and its salts are used in solid propellant for rockets, missiles, and fireworks, and in the production of matches, flares, ordnance, and explosives and in some fertilizers. Perchlorate also occurs naturally and has been found in its natural state in the Southwestern United States and especially in the Atacama Desert along the coast of Chile. More information about perchlorate can be found at the California Department of Public Health website at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/drinkingwater/Pages/Perchlorate.aspx.

What is JPL doing to ensure it is now properly managing its waste?

All waste disposal activities at JPL comply with stringent federal and California regulations.  JPL also takes steps to reduce the amount of wastes it produces and to recycle whenever possible.  The historic waste management practices from the 1940s and 1950s that were common at the time ceased long ago.  In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a sanitary sewer system was installed at JPL to handle sewage and wastewater, and the use of seepage pits for sanitary and chemical waste disposal was discontinued.  Today, laboratory chemical wastes are either recycled or sent off-site for treatment and disposal at licensed, regulated facilities.

How did chemicals move beyond JPL?

Over a period of decades, the chemicals disposed of in seepage pits on the JPL site during the 1940s and 1950s moved down through the soils and into the deep groundwater aquifer.  In the aquifer, the chemicals moved horizontally beneath the ground in a south/southeasterly direction from JPL.  NASA has a network of 25 monitoring wells, many with multiple sampling zones, located within a three-mile radius of JPL to monitor that are used to define the movement, concentrations, and extent of the chemicals. 

Have the chemicals from the JPL site affected any drinking water supplies, and if so, which drinking water systems are involved?

VOCs and perchlorate have traveled in the groundwater deep beneath the surface to some nearby water supply wells, some owned by the Lincoln Avenue Water Company (LAWC) and some owned by Pasadena Water and Power, in Altadena and Pasadena, respectively.  Affected wells were immediately removed from service, and NASA has since been taking steps to remove chemicals from the groundwater.  NASA remains committed to completing the cleanup of groundwater chemicals originating from JPL.  The OU-3 Interim Record of Decision (ROD) documents NASA’s response action to cleanup affected drinking water wells.

Who is involved in the cleanup process at JPL?

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is leading the cleanup efforts at JPL.  Supporting regulatory agencies that oversee NASA’s approach include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), Los Angeles Region.  

What about my drinking water?

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the main federal law that ensures the quality of Americans' drinking water.  Under the provisions of that Act, the federal government is permitted to delegate implement of the SDWA to approved states that request to do so.  California has been approved to implement the SDWA in this state. SDWA sets standards for the permissible level of various constituents in drinking water and establishes treatment standards for drinking water supply systems. Local water purveyors must meet all SDWA requirements and are required to notify its customers if the water does not meet those standards. The SDWA requires water purveyors to provide customers with “Consumer Confidence Reports” which include information on the quality of local drinking water supplies, any chemicals exceeding public health standards and the potential health effects of those chemicals, enforcement and compliance information, and sources of local drinking water. The reports are provided once a year, either in water bills or in a separate mailing. Contact your local water purveyor for more information.

Are my pets safe?

Yes.  Because the chemicals in groundwater are hundreds of feet below the ground’s surface, there are no viable pathways for the chemicals to reach the surface water.  Additionally, all water companies serving drinking water to customers are required to adhere to strict water quality standards regulated by state and federal agencies.  So whether your pets drink tap or ground surface water, it is safe to drink.

What is NASA doing about cleaning up chemicals in groundwater?

NASA is committed to cleaning up groundwater chemicals that originated at JPL and is taking action on several fronts. 

NASA funds a 2,000 gallon-per-minute treatment plant to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water coming from two Lincoln Avenue Water Company (LAWC) drinking water wells in Altadena.  The treatment facility, which became operational in July, 2004, uses a state-of-the-art ion exchange (IX) treatment system to remove perchlorate from the water.  It is coupled with an existing liquid-phase granular activated carbon (LGAC) process to remove VOCs.  Removal of the chemicals allows LAWC to continue to deliver water to its customers that meets all California Department of Public Health (DPH) and federal standards and to meet varying, seasonal water demands. 

The regulatory agencies that are working with NASA on the cleanup effort recently approved a NASA proposal to fund a similar water treatment plant for the City of Pasadena to treat water from City of Pasadena wells in the northern part of the Arroyo Seco. If the plant is approved through the City permitting process, construction for a plant proposed to be sited near the City-owned Windsor Reservoir could begin in the fall of 2008.  The Pasadena plant would have a 7,000 gallons-per-minute (gpm) treatment capacity.

In addition, NASA has a groundwater treatment plant at JPL that began operating in early 2005, The treatment plant is located on the JPL site and removes VOCs and perchlorate found in groundwater directly beneath JPL, the area where the highest concentrations of the chemicals are located.  The plant was initially designed to treat 150 gallons per minute and was recently expanded to full capacity and is treating water at the rate of 300 gpm. The on-facility treatment system uses the LGAC system to remove VOCs and a biological system called a Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR) to remove perchlorate. Treating groundwater at the chemical source area will help stop chemicals from spreading into the groundwater beyond the JPL boundary and will reduce the duration of treatment at the Lincoln Avenue Water Company wells and for wells owned by the City of Pasadena. 

How long will the cleanup take?

Based on cleanup efforts conducted to date as well as implementation of existing and planned groundwater treatment systems, groundwater modeling suggests that complete restoration of the groundwater offsite will take approximately 18 years.

What technologies are being used to remove VOCs and perchlorate from the groundwater directly beneath JPL?

Over the last several years, NASA has undertaken a number of studies designed to test various technologies that could be used to remove chemicals from groundwater effectively.  Specifically, NASA conducted six “pilot” or small-scale tests to determine what technologies or combination of technologies would be best to treat the types of chemicals present for the groundwater conditions that exist at JPL. One of those studies involved a small six-gallons-per-minute test combining two processes – Liquid-phase Granular Activated Carbon (LGAC) and Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR) – to remove VOCs and perchlorate, respectively, from the water. After further evaluation, this combined system was judged to be the most promising of the technologies tested and was selected for larger-scale implementation in the on-facility treatment plant.

What is the cleanup level for perchlorate, TCE and CTC?

The California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for chemicals in drinking water.  The state MCL for perchlorate is 6 parts per billion (ppb) and the state MCL for TCE is 5 ppb.  For CTC, the state MCL is 0.5 ppb.  There are also federal MCLs for TCE and CTC and they are both 5 ppb.  There is currently no federal MCL for perchlorate.

What technologies are being used to remove VOCs and perchlorate from groundwater beneath areas beyond the JPL fenceline?

The technologies selected for the LAWC treatment plant and for the proposed Pasadena plant are liquid-phase granular activated carbon (LGAC) to remove VOCs from the groundwater and an ion exchange system, similar to a home water softening system, to remove perchlorate.

What are the Administrative Record and Information Repository?

An Administrative Record (AR) is a collection of reports, letters, meeting minutes, and other documents that form the basis for selection of a response action at a given CERCLA cleanup site. There is an Administrative Record, required by statute, associated with each CERCLA decision document (i.e., each Record of Decision or Action Memorandum). The Information Repository includes documents in the Administrative Record and also community outreach materials, newspaper articles, and general information about the cleanup project.  The entire Information Repository can be accessed at the Altadena Public Library, the Pasadena Central Library, and La Cañada Flintridge Public Library, and by JPL employees at the JPL Library.  In addition, the Information Repository contents can be accessed by going to the NASA Groundwater Cleanup program website at http://jplwater.nasa.gov, and selecting “Information Repository.”   

Where is the NASA JPL CERCLA site information repository located?

NASA has created a website, http://jplwater.nasa.gov, to act as an electronic information repository that contains documents relating to the cleanup activities occurring at JPL. The public can access the electronic repository to receive information about the progress being made at each operable unit, as well as upcoming meetings, events, news releases, and fact sheets. On the Web, the Information Repository for the JPL site is available at: http://jplwater.nasa.gov. The Information Repository database and files are maintained by NASA and contains technical documents and other information prepared as part of environmental activities governed by the CERCLA statute.  Members of the public are able to directly access the electronic version of the documents from any location with an internet connection. In addition, the local libraries, for which addresses are listed at the end of this document, have computer terminals from which members of the public can access the website to download, view, and print copies of the materials contained in the database of records.

What is NASA doing to keep the public informed about and involved in the cleanup process?

NASA is committed to communicating with its neighbors and all interested parties regarding the cleanup effort and to ensuring that vehicles exist for the two-way exchange of information between NASA and members of the public.  A dedicated team of professionals oversees NASA cleanup activities and ensures that NASA solicits and receives public input on activities and responds to questions and concerns.  NASA is committed to communicating with ALL of its JPL neighbors using a variety of means including direct mail updates, community information sessions and public meetings among other mechanisms.  NASA has also translated many of its outreach documents into Spanish and has created a Spanish section on its web site. 

NASA’s Groundwater Cleanup Manager for Community Involvement, Merrilee Fellows, can be reached by e-mail at mfellows@nasa.gov or by telephone at (818) 393-0754, for more information. 

All documents relating to the cleanup are available for review at the following Information Repositories: