GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

March 26, 2007 

The Honorable Charles B. Rangel 

House of Representatives 

Subject: Defense Infrastructure: Environmental Cleanup of Former Naval Facilities 

on Vieques

Dear Mr. Rangel: 

This report responds to your request that we determine the status and estimated 

costs of environmental cleanup on the island of Vieques. For decades, the U.S. Navy 

conducted ship-to-shore bombing exercises and other live-fire training activities on 

the island, which is located off the coast of Puerto Rico. The Navy ceased its 

operations on Vieques in 2003. The Navy has transferred the land to the Municipality 

of Vieques and the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust for conservation purposes and to 

the Department of the Interior. Although the land has been transferred, the Navy 

remains responsible for environmental cleanup. The cleanup is being carried out 

under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) that consists of 

(1) the Installation Restoration Program, which addresses cleanup of hazardous 

substances, and (2) the Military Munitions Response Program, which addresses 

cleanup of munitions. 

We obtained information on the status and estimated costs of environmental cleanup 

on Vieques from the Department of the Navy. We performed our work from January 

through March 2007 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. 

Summary 

The Navy has identified 37 potentially contaminated sites on Vieques that fall under 

the installation restoration program. The Navy concluded that no further action was 

required for 9 of these sites, and the remaining 28 sites are in various phases of the 

cleanup process. The Navy has allocated about $18.1 million for the investigation and 

cleanup of these sites through fiscal year 2006 and estimates that an additional 

$15.2 million is needed to complete cleanup. 

The Navy has begun the surface removal of munitions on both the east and west sides 

of Vieques under the munitions response program. In fiscal years 2007 and 2008, the 

Navy plans to continue surface removal of munitions on eastern Vieques and to begin 

subsurface munitions clearance on beaches on the eastern and western sides and 

other selected areas on western Vieques that have been surface cleared. The Navy 
has allocated about $35.4 million for the removal and investigation of munitions 

cleanup of Vieques through fiscal year 2006, and has programmed an additional 

$235.3 million for cleanup. The Navy’s cost estimates for munitions cleanup could 

change depending on the outcome of the site investigations and the final reuse plan 

developed by the Department of the Interior. 

Background 

On February 11, 2005, in response to a request from the Governor of Puerto Rico, the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed Vieques Island on the National 

Priorities List (NPL) of seriously contaminated sites. The areas of Vieques listed on 

the NPL encompass the western side of the island, where the Navy stored and 

disposed of munitions at the former Naval Ammunition and Support Detachment, and 

on the eastern side, where the Navy conducted live-fire training exercises in the 

eastern maneuver area, as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1: Former Navy Land on Vieques 

Former Naval Ammunition and Support Detachment

Former Eastern Maneuver Area 

Transferred to 

Municipality of Vieques

Transferred to Department 

of the Interior

Transferred to Puerto Rico

Conservation Trust

Transferred to Department 

of the Interior

Source: Depatment of the Navy.

W

N

S

E

In April 2001, the Navy transferred about 5,000 acres of land on the western side of 

the island to the Municipality of Vieques and the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust and 

about 3,100 acres to the Department of the Interior. The National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 20021

 required the Navy to close its installations on 

the eastern end of the island, and to transfer that land to the Department of the 

Interior. In April 2003, the Navy transferred about 14,700 acres on the eastern side of 

the island to the Department of the Interior, which combined that acreage with the 

3,100 acres transferred in 2001 to establish the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge and 

Wilderness Area under the management of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The act 

stipulated that the Department of the Interior administer 900 acres on the eastern tip 

of the island, which was the live-impact area of the former bombing range, as a 

wilderness area. The law prohibits public access to this area. The act does not 

prohibit public access to the remaining 13,800 acres on the eastern side of the island. 

The extent of public access in this area will be governed by the refuge comprehensive 

conservation plan, to be prepared by the Fish and Wildlife Service, which will identify 

the refuge goals, long-term objectives, and strategies for achieving refuge purposes. 

 1

 Pub. L. No. 107-107, § 1049 (2001). 

Page 2 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
The Navy remains responsible for cleanup of environmental problems on its former 

properties. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 

Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended,2

 authorizes cleanup actions at federal 

facilities where there is a release of a hazardous substance into the environment or 

the threat of such a release. The CERCLA process generally includes the following 

phases and activities: preliminary assessment, site inspection, remedial investigation 

and feasibility study, remedial design and remedial action, and long-term monitoring. 

(An explanation of these phases is provided in enc. I.) The Superfund Amendments 

and Reauthorization Act of 19863

 added provisions to CERCLA specifically governing 

the cleanup of federal facilities and, among other things, required the Secretary of 

Defense to carry out the DERP. The DERP consists of two subprograms: (1) the 

Installation Restoration Program, which addresses cleanup of hazardous substances, 

and (2) the Military Munitions Response Program, which addresses cleanup of 

munitions, including unexploded ordnance and the contaminants and metals related 

to the munitions. 

Installation Restoration Program 

 

The Navy has identified 37 potentially contaminated installation restoration sites on 

Vieques. (Enc. II provides information on each site.) The status of installation site 

cleanup on the western and eastern sides of Vieques is described below. 

• Western Vieques (17 sites). The Navy concluded that no further action was 

required for 9 sites. According to Navy officials, EPA and the technical staff of 

the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board concurred with the Navy’s 

recommendation for no further action at these sites. However, the board’s 

senior management deferred final approval until a public hearing was 

conducted. Although a public hearing was held in January 2004, the board did 

not provide the community with a final decision. As a result, the Navy is 

currently developing a plan to provide for a public review and comment 

period. 

Remedial investigations are ongoing at the eight other sites. Risk assessments 

for three of those sites are anticipated to be completed by the third quarter of 

fiscal year 2007, and for another site in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. The 

Navy has developed a removal action plan for the four remaining sites that is 

anticipated to be implemented by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007. 

• Eastern Vieques (20 sites). A preliminary assessment/site inspection has 

been completed for the 20 eastern sites. A soil background investigation is 

ongoing to establish background levels for naturally occurring metals in the 

soils. The background investigation, anticipated to be completed by the end of 

2007, will determine which sites will be recommended for remedial 

investigation and which sites will be recommended for no further actions. 

 2

 Pub. L. No. 96-510 (1980), as amended. 3

Pub. L. No. 99-499, § 120 and § 211 (1986). 

Page 3 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
The Navy has allocated about $18.1 million for the investigation and cleanup of 

installation restoration sites through fiscal year 2006 and estimates that an additional 

$15.2 million is needed to complete cleanup, as shown in table 1. 

Table 1: Navy Cost Estimate for Cleanup of Installation Restoration Sites on 

Vieques 

Dollars in thousands

Fiscal year Western Eastern Total

2007 $520 $2,351 $2,871

2008 226 1,993 $2,219

2009 211 1,691 $1,902

2010 182 179 $361

2011 203 1,597 $1,800

2012 and 

beyond 

92 6,003 $6,095

Total $1,434 $13,814 $15,248

Source: Department of the Navy.

The Navy’s cost estimates for installation restoration sites are based on the type and 

extent of contamination identified to date and the remedies it assumes would be 

adequate to prevent human exposure. Actual costs could differ, depending on the 

outcome of the site investigations and the final selection of remedial actions. 

Military Munitions Response Program 

The Navy has begun the surface removal of munitions on both the east and west sides 

of Vieques. In fiscal year 2007 and 2008, the Navy plans to continue surface removal 

of munitions on eastern Vieques and to begin subsurface munitions clearance on 

beaches on the eastern and western sides and other selected areas on western 

Vieques that have been surface cleared. The status of munitions cleanup on the 

western and eastern sides of Vieques is described below. 

• Western Vieques. A 100-acre surface munitions clearance was competed in 

fiscal year 2003, and surface clearance at the former open burn/open 

detonation site4

 will be conducted in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. 

• Eastern Vieques. A preliminary assessment/site inspection identified 

approximately 9,000 acres potentially affected by munitions and explosives of 

concern in the former eastern maneuver area. Approximately 1,100 acres, 

which includes the former live-impact area, is currently undergoing a timecritical removal action to remove munitions from the surface. A total of 290 

acres (225 acres inland and 65 acres of beaches) have been surfaced cleared. 

The Navy expects to complete surface removal of the remaining 810 acres 

covered by the time-critical removal action by 2010. The cleanup of the 

remaining 7,900 acres potentially affected by munitions will depend on the 

results of future site investigations and the final comprehensive conservation 

 4

 The open burn/open detonation site was used to destroy excess, obsolete, or unserviceable

munitions. 

Page 4 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
plan being developed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the 

Interior. 

The Navy has allocated about $35.4 million for the investigation of munitions cleanup 

of Vieques through fiscal year 2006, and has programmed an additional $235.2 million 

for cleanup, as shown in table 2. 

Table 2: Navy Cost Estimate for Munitions Cleanup on Vieques 

Dollars in thousands

Fiscal year Western Eastern Total

2007 $1,538 $20,000 $21,538

2008 1,000 19,000 $20,000

2009 1,000 19,000 $20,000

2010 1,000 19,000 $20,000

2011 1,000 19,000 $20,000

2012 and 

beyond 

115 133,643 $133,758

Total $5,653 $229,643 $235,296

Source: Department of the Navy.

The Navy’s cost estimates for munitions cleanup are based on the remedies it 

assumes would be adequate to prevent human exposure. Actual costs could differ, 

depending on the outcome of the site investigations and the final Comprehensive 

Conservation Plan being developed by the Department of the Interior. 

Agency Comments 

We received technical comments from DOD, which we incorporated as appropriate. 

_____________________________ 

We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense and other interested 

parties. We will provide copies of this report to others upon request. In addition, the 

report will be available at no charge on the GAO Web site at http:/www.gao.gov. 

Page 5 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
If you or your staff have any questions on the information discussed in this report, 

please feel free to contact me at (202) 512-4523 or leporeb@gao.gov. Contact points 

for our offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last 

page of this report. Key contributors to this report were Mike Kennedy, Assistant 

Director; Susan Ditto; and Karen Kemper. 

Sincerely yours, 

Brian Lepore 

Acting Director, Defense Capabilities and Management 

Enclosures - 2 

Page 6 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
Enclosure I 

CERCLA Cleanup Phases and Activities 

The CERCLA process generally includes the following phases and activities. 

• Preliminary Assessment (PA). Available information is collected regarding 

contamination, including a search of historical records, to confirm whether a 

potential environmental contamination or military munitions hazard could be 

present and to determine whether further action is needed. 

• Site Inspection (SI). This step usually involves a walk around the site by an 

environmental engineer and may involve some limited soil and water sampling, 

including an analysis to determine the extent and source(s) of the hazards. 

• Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). More rigorous statistical 

sampling and analysis is conducted at this phase to determine the exact nature 

and extent of the contamination; determine whether cleanup action is needed; 

and, if so, select alternative cleanup approaches. These include removal, 

limiting public contact, determining no further action is warranted, or cleaning 

of the hazardous media (soil, air, or water) on site. 

• Remedial Design/Remedial Action. This phase involves designing and 

constructing the actual cleanup remedies, such as a pump and treat facility for 

groundwater, or removing munitions. 

• Long-term Monitoring. At this phase, parties responsible for the cleanup 

periodically review the remedy in place to ensure its continued effectiveness, 

including checking for unexploded ordnance and educating the public. 

Page 7 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
Enclosure II 

Installation Restoration Sites on Vieques 

Site Description Status 

Navy

proposed no

further action 

CERCLA

phase-in 

progress 

Estimated 

completion 

Western Vieques 

05 Former fuel disposal site X 

10 Former waste paint and solvents

disposal site 

X

14 Former wash rack X

15 Former waste transportation

vehicle parking area 

X

B Former wastewater treatment

plant 

X

C Drainage ditch X

F Former septic tank X 

K Former water well X 

L Abandoned septic tank X

04 Inactive open burn/open 

detonation area 

RI 1st quarter FY 2008

E Underground waste oil storage 

tank 

RI 3rd quarter FY 2007

H Former power plant RI 3

rd

 quarter FY 2007

I Former asphalt plant RI 3

rd

 quarter FY 2007

06 Mangrove disposal site NTCRA 4

th

quarter FY 2007

07 Disposal site NTCRA 4

th

quarter FY 2007

J Former staging area disposal site NTCRA 4thquarter FY 2007

R Former operations and staging area NTRCA 4thquarter FY 2007

Subtotal 

western 

17 9 8

Eastern Vieques 

01 Camp Garcia landfill PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

02 Former fuels off-loading site PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

04 Former waste areas of building 303 PA/SI 1

st

 quarter FY 2008

05 Former spent battery accumulation

area 

PA/SI 1

st

 quarter FY 2008

06 Former waste oil and paint 

accumulation area

PA/SI 1

st

 quarter FY 2008

07 Former waste oil accumulation 

area 

PA/SI 1

st

 quarter FY 2008

08 Former waste oil accumulation 

area 

PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

10 Former sewage treatment lagoons PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

12 Former solid waste collection unit

area 

PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

A Former diesel fuel fill pipe area PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

F Rock quarry PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

G Former pump station and 

chlorination building

PA/SI 1st quarter FY 2008

8 ground-scarred areas PA/SI 1st

 quarter FY 2008

Subtotal 

eastern 

20 0 20

Total 37 9 28

Source: Department of the Navy. 

Note: NTCRA means non-time-critical removal action. 

(350972)

Page 8 GAO-07-552R Defense Infrastructure 
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