OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change 

as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.

***Proposed Site*** March 2011 

NORTH RIDGE ESTATES Klamath Falls, Oregon 

Klamath County 

à Site Location:

North Ridge Estates (NRE) is a residential subdivision located approximately 3 miles north of Klamath Falls, in Klamath 

County, Oregon, at the site of a former World War II (WWII) medical facility. 

 ́ Site History:

The site was originally developed in 1944 to treat Marines suffering from tropical diseases contracted during WWII. The 

base was active from April 1944 until February 1946. The Marine Recuperation Barracks (MRB) comprised 82 buildings. 

 Many of the materials used for improvements on the site contained asbestos, such as siding, roofing, floor tiles and steam 

pipe insulation. The State of Oregon acquired the property in October 1947 to be used for the Oregon Technology Institute 

(OTI). During OTI’s occupancy of the site, six structures were demolished. OTI moved from the site in 1964 and 

ownership transferred to the General Services Administration. From 1965 to 1977, a partnership of private individuals 

owned the property. During this time, at least 22 buildings were demolished. In December 1977, the property was 

purchased by the MBK partnership for development. 

In January 2006, a federal consent decree was approved with parties including MBK, the homeowners, the Department of 

Justice, and EPA. The majority of the settlement compensated homeowners to allow them to relocate to new permanent 

residences. The consent decree also provided for a receiver to manage and hold title to the properties as a potential 

resource for funding cleanup activities. As a result of the January 2006 consent decree, the NRE site comprises a mixture 

of privately owned properties and receiver-managed parcels.

r Site Contamination/Contaminants:

Asbestos used in the original construction of the MRB is the main source of asbestos in site soil. When buildings 

containing asbestos were demolished, some of the debris was consolidated into waste piles or burial pits, and the rest was 

dispersed in surface and subsurface soil in the vicinity of the demolition. 

v Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

The presence of asbestos in surface and subsurface soils, and its continuing transport from the subsurface to the surface 

presents an unacceptable human health risk to residents in the area from inhalation of asbestos fibers. 

3 Response Activities (to date):

EPA conducted a series of emergency removal actions between 2003 and 2005 to reduce the volume of friable asbestos that 

had reached the surface due to frost heave and erosion. While large amounts were removed each year, the removals could 

not permanently eliminate unacceptable risks to residents of the site. Residents were temporarily relocated from the site 

for 3 months in 2005. Additional removals were conducted between 2005 and 2009, which consolidated large volumes of 

asbestos into on-site repositories and reduced the amount in surface soils but were not able to permanently eliminate 

unacceptable risks to the local population. 

} Need for NPL Listing: 

The Governor of Oregon has requested NRE be placed on the NPL using Oregon’s state pick. This nomination has the 

support of the Department of Environmental Quality, local citizens, stakeholders and elected officials. There is no other 

viable cleanup alternative.