The Ventura County Department of Airports is undergoing a scheduled taxiway pavement repair project at Oxnard Airport (OXR). The reconstruction project, which began in early April, includes taxiway connectors A-E and on the 11-acre site adjacent to Ventura Boulevard – all property owned by the County of Ventura.
The construction is taking place primarily in the overnight hours due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) restrictions related to working on an active taxiway. The project is slated to be completed by July 21, 2023, and will also include the installation of a permanent fence around the entire 11 acres. Most airport construction is completed overnight due to the FAA’s restrictions of working in active runway and taxiway protection zones for safety reasons. All construction, including stockpiling operations occurs between the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Concerns from the community regarding construction noise have been raised and are being addressed. The Department of Airports is working closely with the contractor to minimize disturbance to neighboring residential communities.
As part of the project, the Department is also working to provide clarification regarding soil being stored near OXR.
The Department of Airports, as required by the Los Angeles Region Water Quality Control Board, is temporarily stockpiling excess soil from the taxiway project. Contractors are following a strict soils management program, which was approved by the Water Quality Control Board. Soil testing will ultimately be conducted as part of the Board’s ongoing investigation regarding the presence of polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS), found in aircraft firefighting foam. Based on findings from previous environmental investigations conducted at the site, low concentrations of PFAS are present in soil. As such, there is potential for PFAS compounds to be present in excavated soil removed as part of the reconstruction project. Therefore, the soil is being placed on a plastic liner and covered to eliminate any possible spread of the soil before it is relocated. Once testing is completed, the soil will either be reused for other airport projects or taken offsite.
PFAS is a chemical that is also commonly found in non-stick cookware, plastic food packaging, stain-resistant fabric, and cosmetics. Because of its widespread use, regulatory agencies are investigating use of this chemical in different applications to more clearly identify thresholds for safer use of the PFAS chemical.
The County of Ventura and Department of Airports are committed to prioritizing public health and safety and will continue to work closely with the State Waterboard to ensure any additional measures of safety are taken.
Information related to the taxiway reconstruction project was initially distributed to the public in December 2022.
For more information, please visit vcariports.org or e-mail AirportInfo@ventura.org.