The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) oversees the cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), an approximately 2,850-acre site near Los Angeles where nuclear and rocket engine research, as well as liquid metal testing, was conducted until 2006.

According to Boeing, NASA had operations at SSFL, as did various Boeing heritage companies.

Now, at least two toxic “forever chemicals” — polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — have been found to likely be leaching into the Los Angeles River and its aquifer, according to a press release from watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Farmers in the region get their water from the aquifer.