JPL to drill new well in water cleanup project

NASA and JPL plan to drill a well on Lincoln Avenue Water property as part of their long-term plan to clean up groundwater contamination.

Steve Slaten, project manager for JPL’s cleanup project, told the Altadena Town Council at its May 20, 2014 meeting that the space agency plans to drill a new well on the existing parking lot at Lincoln Avenue Water Company’s office at 564 W. Harriet Street.

NASA and JPL have been involved in cleaning up groundwater in the area since the early 1990’s.  Chemicals used for space and rocket research at JPL and other locations from World War II and throughout the space race and Cold War were frequently dumped on the ground at research facilities, contaminating groundwater. According to a release from NASA, they have been working with Lincoln Avenue Water Co. to remove volatile organic compounds since the 1990’s, and removing perchlorate since 2004.

To that end, they have been treating groundwater from Lincoln Avenue wells, which are “located at the leading edge of chemicals migrating from JPL.”  What NASA plans to do is drill a deeper well on Lincoln Avenue property, with the aim to start construction in the fall of 2014.

The first step after all the permits have been acquired is is the noisy business of drilling the well in an area close to a school and homes. Slaten said that the plans include putting up 24-foot sound walls on four sides of the drilling rig and taking measures to minimize dust.  Drilling will take approximately a month, and “well development” — getting it ready to pump — will take about six months.

Currently, NASA and JPL have three cleanup wells running: one on JPL property, another on Lincoln Avenue Water Co. property, and the Monk Hill Treatment System in Pasadena.