It’s the end of an era — and an unmistakable roadside landmark.
Southern California is preparing to say goodbye to the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s famously nicknamed “nuclear boobs,” the twin domes that have loomed over Interstate 5 for decades.
The enormous domes are scheduled to be demolished by the end of the year as part of the long-running effort to dismantle the closed nuclear power plant and remove the radioactive waste stored there.
Of the facility’s 62 structures, 52 have already been taken down. More than 700 million pounds of radioactive material have been removed, with roughly 3.6 million pounds still remaining. Full decommissioning is expected to be completed by 2028, according to US Rep. Mike Levin.
“When I convened the SONGS Task Force in 2019, there was no clear path to move nuclear waste off our coastline. Today, we can point to real progress at San Onofre and growing momentum at the federal level,” Levin said in a press release.
More than 1,600 tons of spent nuclear fuel remain at the facility, which is located between Orange and San Diego counties and sits roughly 100 feet from the Pacific Ocean.
“We cannot mistake progress for a permanent solution. I will keep working across party lines to secure the funding, reforms, and safe storage and disposal options needed to finally get this waste off our coast.”
Construction on the two domes was completed in 1983 and 1984. The plant was ultimately taken offline in 2013.
Even after more than a decade of closure, the distinctive structures have inspired plenty of affection — and some playful grief — among Californians.
“Losing a piece of my childhood. Well, two I guess,” one Reddit user joked.
“Should have kept them and painted them as an art piece to be seen by aircraft flying by, like the Hollywood sign,” another person wrote.
“We called them the Dolly Parton buildings while driving down the 5 fwy as kids. It’s only fitting that they start to come down,” a third commenter said.
Locals often compared the domes to Dolly Parton, turning them into unlikely pop-culture landmarks. They were referenced in the Descendents’ 1986 song “Kids,” which includes the line, “Went driving down to San Diego / Passing up the nuclear tits,” and also appeared in the 1988 comedy “The Naked Gun.”
The demolition effort comes as environmental advocates and public officials continue to warn about the risks of keeping spent nuclear fuel at the coastal site, including concerns about possible radiation leaks.
“For too long, our communities have lived with the uncertainty of storing spent nuclear fuel along our coastline without a permanent solution in place,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in October. “With rising sea levels, coastal erosion and seismic risks, we cannot afford to let this issue languish.”