FOCUS GROUP has extensive experience in addressing sites with perchlorate. In addition, Dr. Santos also assisted a state in the rollout of their drinking water and hazardous waste cleanup standards for perchlorate, one of the first states in the nation to issue such standards.
NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
La Caňada Flintridge (Pasadena), CA
January 2003 - Present
The Challenge
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, operated for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), is situated on 176 acres of land in La Caňada Flintridge, adjacent to Pasadena, CA. During the 1940s and 1950s, when the site was operated by the US Army, chemical wastes, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and perchlorate, were disposed of in seepage pits on the JPL property, a common and accepted method of waste disposal at the time. Those chemicals eventually reached the groundwater table hundreds of feet below the surface and eventually migrated toward drinking water wells owned by the City of Pasadena and the Lincoln Avenue Water Company in neighboring Altadena. JPL and the surrounding area were eventually placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability (CERCLA) Act, and NASA subsequently assumed responsibility as the lead agency in the soil and groundwater cleanup effort.
In 1993, FOCUS GROUP (under contract to CalTech) developed a Community Relations Plan to address investigation and cleanup of volatile organic chemical in soils and groundwater. The discovery of perchlorate in groundwater resulted in NASA again contracting FOCUS GROUP, as a subcontractor to BEM Systems, Inc. (and subsequently Battelle Memorial Institute) to support NASA in developing and implementing a long-term comprehensive public outreach program to accompany the comprehensive CERCLA cleanup process.
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Results
From strategy to design to implementation – FOCUS GROUP community involvement and risk communication efforts have resulted in high marks for NASA’s proactive outreach efforts.
THE FOCUS GROUP APPROACH
Public Meeting Support & Training:
Trained spokespersons are a critical part of any risk communication strategy. FOCUS GROUP staff have developed and conducted multiple risk communication and public meeting training sessions for NASA and contractor staff as well as the other regulators who oversee the cleanup efforts at JPL
FOCUS GROUP also helped plan and prepare NASA, contractor and other medical experts for a meeting to address community health concerns in April 2004. Through each public meeting, FOCUS GROUP trained NASA personnel and other experts and assisted in preparation with anticipated tough questions. Each meeting is also analyzed with an eye toward improving responsiveness at the next. FOCUS GROUP also prepared and developed mailers, print advertisements, and flyers promoting those meetings in advance.
Materials:
Throughout the cleanup effort, FOCUS GROUP has recommended and prepared a series of print materials to support public meetings and the overall cleanup effort. These included a high-quality, four-page bi-lingual newsletter, a series of two-page “update” brochures, several fact sheets, meeting notices and postcards, comment cards, and flyers. Publications are routinely translated and produced in Spanish by FOCUS GROUP for NASA. FOCUS GROUP also provides risk communication support on other documents such as “Action Memoranda”, Proposed Plans and other documents required by CERCLA.
Displays:
FOCUS GROUP developed a series of standup displays for use at public outreach and community information sessions. These attractive and informative displays cover the site history and technologies under consideration and/or those being used for the cleanup effort, investigation results and the status of site cleanup efforts.
Website:
FOCUS GROUP develops additional content for the NASA JPL Cleanup Website and has prepared comprehensive recommendations for its update and re-designs. FOCUS GROUP has also prepared a specialized Glossary of Terms for the Website, responses to Frequently Asked Questions and other material.
Community Involvement Plan:
FOCUS GROUP developed an updated Community Involvement Plan (CIP – formerly known as Community Relations Plan or CRP). FOCUS GROUP developed community interview questions and conducted a series of interviews with NASA and recommendations for additional community outreach activities.
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