The following provides an overview of the project history, recent investigations, and investigation findings. For more information on mitigation and remediation measures being conducted, please visit the Remediation/Mitigation Work page.

History

Ford operated the Ford Aeronutronic facility from 1957 to 1993 at 1000 Ford Road in Newport Beach. The 200-acre former facility was bounded on the north by Bison Avenue, on the west by Jamboree Road, on the south by Ford Road, and on the east by MacArthur Boulevard. Operations conducted on-site included the research, engineering and manufacture of aerospace systems including missile guidance components, rocket motors and computer hardware. As part of routine manufacturing operations, and as was common at the time, the VOCs trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) were used to clean metal parts.

Between 1993 and 1996, Ford demolished the facility. Under Santa Ana Water Board’s (Water Board’s) oversight, Ford conducted environmental investigations to determine the extent of chemicals, including TCE and PCE, in soil and groundwater from historical manufacturing operations. Remediation work addressed environmental impacts in soil and groundwater in accordance with cleanup goals established by the Water Board and the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) to protect public health and groundwater.  Several remedial technologies to remove TCE and PCE in soil and groundwater were used including bioremediation, excavation and disposal of soils, and groundwater and soil vapor treatment systems. In 1996, the Water Board approved Ford discontinuing the operation of an on-site groundwater treatment system as the system had successfully reduced the mass of VOCs. In 1996, the Water Board determined no further active remediation was needed but required ongoing monitoring of groundwater and site conditions. The site was then rezoned and redeveloped for residential uses.

Ongoing Monitoring

As a condition of regulatory approval, the Water Board required Ford to continue to monitor groundwater containing residual VOCs, which includes TCE and PCE. Since 1996, groundwater has been regularly monitored and soil gas samples have been collected periodically for analysis. Soil gas investigation work conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2012 found TCE and PCE at levels below the Water Board’s environmental screening levels. In 2016, the Water Board’s environmental screening levels were updated. In 2018, TCE and PCE were detected in soil gas above the newly updated environmental screening levels at some areas of the site. There are several reasons for this including regulatory standards that have become significantly more stringent since monitoring began and many advances that have been made in equipment sensitivity and detection limits.

Water Board Requests Further Investigation

In 2017, the Water Board determined that TCE and PCE detected in soil gas and groundwater could potentially cause vapor intrusion and requested additional investigation work. Vapor intrusion is a process where chemicals in the vapor phase can travel below ground in soil gas and enter a building through cracks and other openings in the foundation and potentially impact the quality of indoor air. The Ford site was not evaluated for vapor intrusion in the 1990’s because this was not recognized as a pathway for exposure. Ford has been conducting field work in neighborhoods within and surrounding the former facility (click here for a map of the investigation area) since 2018 to accomplish the following:

  • Define the outside edges of the TCE and PCE plume in groundwater

  • Define the extent of TCE and PCE in soil vapor

  • Conduct a vapor intrusion study to determine whether the indoor air in individual buildings in the study area has been impacted

  • Determine the best methods to address findings, where needed, in accordance with today’s regulatory standards

It is important to note that VOCs, including TCE and PCE, are common in urban environments and can be found in many household and commercial items unrelated to the Ford site. These include car exhaust, cigarette smoke, air fresheners and other scented materials, dry cleaned clothes, gardening chemicals, certain cleaning products, and building construction materials.

Current Investigation Work

The Water Board has determined that the majority of the soil gas plume has been defined. Results of the investigation are provided to the Water Board in formal reports and are uploaded to the Project Documents tab. Details and results of the investigations can also be found in the Water Board Information Sessions, recordings and/or presentations of which can be found in the Community Outreach tab. Ford will continue to monitor the soil gas plume two to three times a year by collecting data at 424 subsurface sampling locations. The soil gas data collected aids understanding of the plume stability and determines if concentrations at each sampling location are stable, decreasing, or increasing, which helps the project team determine next steps.

The only way people can be exposed to TCE and PCE from the site is through vapor intrusion. The priority is to evaluate, and if necessary, mitigate vapor intrusion to nearby buildings through appropriate mitigation measures and or remedial actions. As of October 2023, over 361 residential properties and three commercial properties have had their indoor air sampled. Low levels of PCE and TCE have been detected above screening levels in the indoor air of 139 homes. Air purifying units and/or SSD systems have been offered to 29 of those properties where data suggested vapor intrusion was occurring based on property-specific evaluations. The remaining properties with indoor air exceedances appear to have indoor sources of VOCs (e.g., cleaning products, dry-cleaned clothes, scented candles, etc.).

Ford Aeronutronic provided major support for the development of Project Space Track (1957-1961).

Photo: Smithsonian Institution

Q. WHAT ARE VOCS?

VOCs get their name from their ability to easily pass from a liquid into a gaseous state. VOCs are commonly used in industry as well as in the home. Products containing VOCs include paints, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, and markers. VOCs are also found in car exhaust, cigarette smoke, air fresheners and other scented materials, dry cleaned clothes, gardening chemicals, fuel and some building materials. Recent research has shown that VOCs in soil and groundwater can evaporate as vapors and become trapped under a building potentially affecting the quality of indoor air. This process is called vapor intrusion. Click here for a list of VOCs found in the home.

Q. WHAT IS TCE?

Historically, trichloroethene (TCE) was used as a solvent for degreasing metal parts during the manufacture of a variety of products. It can be found in consumer products, including some wood finishes, adhesives, paint removers, and stain removers. Due to its widespread use, very low levels of TCE are common in the air of homes and businesses and in outdoor air in urban areas.

Q. WHAT IS PCE?

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) is a chemical compound that is commonly used in clothes dry cleaning and metal degreasing. It is also used to make other chemicals and can be found in some consumer products.

Q. WHAT IS VAPOR INTRUSION?

TCE and other VOCs can evaporate from impacted soil and groundwater creating vapors that rise towards the ground surface. If these vapors move and come in contact with a building, they may enter through cracks in the foundation, around pipes, or through a drain system. VOCs can then impact the quality of indoor air. This process – when VOCs move from air spaces in soil to indoor air – is called vapor intrusion. Vapor intrusion is the only way people may be exposed to VOCs from the former Ford site.

Q. WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY RESULTS?

For property owners who have received indoor air sampling results and have questions about how to interpret their results, please call our project information line at 833-949-3673 and a member of the project team will call you back to review and discuss your results.

  • Soil gas investigation data is used to determine the need to assess the potential for vapor intrusion through indoor air sampling. Indoor air sampling is minimally invasive and can be performed quickly by environmental professionals. Because VOCs are common in urban areas and are often found in household items including cleaning supplies and building materials, samples of air are collected from beneath the foundation and within the building. This method allows us to rule out VOCs that are coming from household items.

    Ford responds to each homeowner individually with testing results and next steps. Results will be made public through reports submitted to the Santa Ana Water Board; however, homeowner identities and other personal information will be confidential. As we conduct additional soil gas sampling and receive results, we may contact additional residences and businesses for indoor air sampling.

    If you have received an access agreement, please sign and return for countersignature. Your cooperation is essential in helping us move forward with our investigation. If you would like to see if your home should have its indoor air tested, please Contact Us.

  • If testing shows TCE or PCE from vapor intrusion are above the regulatory limits in indoor air, Ford works directly with property owners to remedy the situation. Potential remedies include sealing any cracks in the foundation, installing a mobile air purifying unit, adjusting the heating/ventilation system, and in some cases installing sub-slab depressurization systems (SSD systems) to safely vent the vapors beneath the building to the outside air. SSD systems work by creating a vacuum under the building, which prevents soil vapors from entering the building. This type of system is commonly used throughout the country and is a proven solution to vapor intrusion problems. Ford covers all costs associated with mitigation measures.

In 2020 and 2021, Ford submitted Human Health Risk Assessments (Assessments) for each community or commercial property where soil gas exceedances were identified. Indoor air sampling data are evaluated within these reports to determine whether VOCs are the result of vapor intrusion, from an indoor source, or a combination of vapor intrusion and indoor source(s). Soil gas data are also evaluated to provide information about potential future vapor intrusion conditions. The findings of these Assessments are being used to support current and future long-term risk management decisions to ensure the long-term health and safety of residents, the larger community, and the environment. Additional soil gas and indoor data are used to prepare and submit addenda to these reports, when appropriate, to evaluate properties that were not included in prior Assessments and to evaluate potential changes in previous risk calculations. All Assessments and their addenda are reviewed by a toxicologist from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), with formal approval provided by the Water Board.

For properties that have already been evaluated in a community-specific Assessment or in a subsequent addendum, Ford will continue sampling soil gas and indoor air, if warranted, to ensure conditions remain protective of human health. Sampling frequency for each property will be six months, annually, two years, or five years based on soil gas concentrations. Residents at properties that have already been evaluated were notified of their sampling frequencies in 2022 and 2023.