The Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) team launched the Community Outreach, Neighbor Notifications, Engagement, Collaboration and Training (CONNECT) series in January 2026 to share updates on cleanup activities at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL).
DOE will host periodic CONNECT sessions, each focused on a specific topic, to provide our community with access to timely information and opportunities to engage with staff. Sessions will be held in our office at 980 Enchanted Way, Suite 108, Simi Valley, CA 93065.
To learn more about the CONNECT series or RSVP for a session, email us at etec@emcbc.doe.gov.
To share your thoughts on future topics or provide feedback on sessions, please fill out the CONNECT Feedback Form.
Upcoming dates and topics, related materials and recordings of CONNECT sessions will be posted to this page. Please check here for updates.
Josh Mengers (left), DOE’s federal project director for ETEC, talks about the perimeter air monitoring network at SSFL while meeting facilitator Wendy Lowe (right) points to the monitor locations on the map. Photo courtesy of Melissa SimonThe August 12 CONNECT Series meeting highlighted not only recent activities at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) but also wildfires, air monitoring and DOE's response to the Sandy Fire, which burned adjacent to the site in May 2026.
Ventura County Fire Division Chief Matt Falat gave a special guest presentation about county fire response in general and in relation to SSFL. He also shared insight from the Sandy Fire, along with general information of how incident commands works and what happens when a call comes into the 9-1-1 system.
Josh Mengers, DOE’s federal project director for ETEC, continued the discussion with the site’s response during the Sandy Fire in May, including coordination with site partners and emergency responders. He also shared preliminary air monitoring data collected as part of the site’s ongoing air monitoring program established in 2018.
View a recording of the presentation and the slides below.
Josh Mengers talked about past operations and ongoing remediation at SSFL at the CONNECT community update on May 13, 2026.Josh Mengers, DOE’s federal project director at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), kicked off the May 13 session by answering some questions asked during the January 28 meeting, before zooming out to an overall look at cleanup across sites managed by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM), given by Karen Edson, a public affairs specialist with EM headquarters.
Mengers then zoomed back in to Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) and how that larger scope of work helps inform what’s going on at SSFL, including the former operations and remediation at the Sodium Experiment Reactor and Former Sodium Disposal Facility.
Other topics included a brief look at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 study, current activities and what’s next.
Read about the CONNECT session.
View a recording of the presentation, the slides and responses for questions asked at the January 28 meeting below.
About 40 community members attended the inaugural CONNECT session hosted by ETEC on January 28, 2026.Josh Mengers, DOE's federal project director, and Luke Hill, a project manager for DOE's contractor North Wind, gave a brief overview of SSFL, current cleanup activities and what's next at the inaugural CONNECT session on January 28, 2026.
Topics focused on interim groundwater measures, including a pilot study and an automated pumping system, air and groundwater monitoring in Area IV, and demolition plans for the basement of Building 4024.
Read about the first CONNECT session.
View a recording of the presentation and the slides below.