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About SSFL

Coca Test Stands - 1956
Coca Test Stands in 1956

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) is located on 2,850 acres in the Simi Hills, nearly thirty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, California, in southeastern Ventura County. The SSFL opened in 1948 and it became a center for the development and testing of rocket engines for defense and exploration purposes. It was also a test site for advanced energy research programs. SSFL is divided into four "Administrative Areas" and additional undeveloped areas of land to the north and south. Areas I, III, and IV and the undeveloped areas are owned and operated by the Boeing Company. Area II, consisting of 409.5 acres, along with 41.7 acres in Area I, are owned by the U.S. Government and administered by NASA. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has long held a lease on land in Area IV.

All research and testing activities have ceased at SSFL and environmental cleanup activities are underway to remove chemicals in the environment that remain from past operations. NASA, Boeing and DOE are each responsible for cleanup in areas in which they operated. California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is overseeing the cleanup.

NASA’s overarching goal in its cleanup efforts at SSFL is to protect human health and safety and the environment, as well as the cultural legacy of the site. In August 2007, NASA, Boeing and DOE, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) signed a Consent Order for Corrective Action that addressed the cleanup of soils and groundwater at SSFL. Subsequently, in December 2010, NASA and DTSC executed an Administrative Order on Consent for Remedial Action (referred to as “2010 AOC”) with specific requirements to complete the characterization and cleanup of soils in NASA-administered areas.

For more information, visit the Cleanup page.