Site investigations and environmental cleanup of the Langley facility was conducted under two regulatory agency cases: one under the oversight of San Diego County Department of Environmental Health in 1987, which oversaw the removal and cleanup of a 2,000-gallon tank that stored machine oil; and the second under the oversight of DTSC, which oversaw cleanup of the site from 1990 through 1996.

As part of the site cleanup case overseen by DTSC, soil and groundwater conditions were studied, and it was concluded that no further action was required because TCE and tetrachloroethene (PCE) were below risk-based screening levels at the time. The site was redeveloped into the current commercial shopping center/plaza in 2000.

A recent property transaction next door identified chemicals in soil vapor (air spaces in between soil particles) and this prompted environmental investigation work at the shopping center. As part of the investigation, samples of indoor air were collected within Food 4 Less store. These samples contained levels of TCE above today’s more conservative, or very protective, regulatory screening levels. Environmental standards have changed in the last 25 years and additional investigation/cleanup work is needed at the shopping center to meet these new standards.