3 

Federal Facilities 

Redevelopment Breathes 

New Life Into Local 

Economies 

7 

EPA Proves That 

Communication + 

Cooperation = Success + 

Savings 

8 

Five Federal Facilities 

Achieve Construction 

Completion 

11 

Two Federal Facilities 

Deleted from NPL 

Federal Cleanups That Put Citizens First 

www.epa.gov/swerffr 

EPA505-B-03-001 

Issue 7 

February 2003 

Redevelopment Successes Brought into Focus 

Welcome to the seventh 

issue of Partners in 

Progress (PIP). This 

newsletter highlights some of the 

diverse federally-owned properties 

that have been successfully transformed into thriving new places to 

live and work. Thanks to the innovative ideas, unwavering 

commitment, and support from various affected parties, 

these redeveloped facilities avoided becoming unwanted 

brownfields. Instead, they are well on the way to reaching their full economic and environmental potential. 

EPA defines brownfields as “abandoned, idled, or 

under-used facilities or sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived 

environmental contamination.” The Agency started its Brownfields Initiative in 1995 to bring new 

attention to these areas, helping to mitigate any potential heath risks and restore the economic vitality 

of these sites. EPA’s Federal Facilities Restoration and 

Reuse Office (FFRRO) is equally dedicated to working 

FromtheDirector 

<Continued on Page 2> 

Businesses are thriving at the new Business 

Depot Ogden in Ogden, Utah. 

Teamwork Key In Fighting 

Chicago Ridge Fire 

Acooperative spirit among agencies emerged when it 

came to dealing with the Chicago Ridge Fire at 

Camp Hale, Colorado, in the midst of numerous 

summer wildfires. On July 7, 2002, a lightning strike 

caused a small fire at Camp Hale, located in the White 

River National Forest between Leadville and Minturn, in 

west-central Colorado. The Camp Hale Formerly Used 

Defense Site (FUDS) is now used year-round by the public 

as a recreation area and is included on the National 

Register of Historic Places. During World War II, the 

Army used Camp Hale as a warfare training site and for 

weapons and equipment testing. 

The July fire in the East Fork Valley at Camp Hale was 

reported the day after the lightning strike, but responding <Continued on Page 3> 

A fire crew prepares for action following 

reports of a fire in an area contaminated 

with abandoned munitions at Camp Hale, 

Colorado. 
From the Director 

<Continued From Page 1> 

with federal, state, and local entities to help transition 

former federal facilities into renewed, contributing parts 

of a community. 

In this issue of PIP, we focus on several remediated 

federal facilities across the nation that offer new economic promise to their communities. In Charleston, 

South Carolina, residents feared that decommissioning 

one of the United States’ largest Naval homeports would 

shipwreck the local economy. The cleanup team and 

local redevelopment authorities, however, helped keep 

businesses running, attracted new businesses to the area, 

and even found new uses for the land that will improve 

quality of life for years to come. In Miamisburg, Ohio, 

Acronyms Explained 

BRAC Base Realignment and Closure 

DoD U.S. Department of Defense 

DOE U.S. Department of Energy 

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

FFRRO Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office 

FUDS Formerly Used Defense Sites 

NPL National Priorities List 

PCB Poly-chlorinated biphenyl 

PCOR Preliminary close out report 

ROD Record of Decision 

TCE Trichoroethylene 

UXO Unexploded ordnance 

VOC Volatile organic compound 

Partners In Progress 

Philosophy 

Stakeholders involved in federal facility cleanups are 

diverse, with differing backgrounds, interests, and 

perspectives. All of these stakeholders, however, 

share a single common goal—progress. Partners In 

Progress (PIP) provides a forum for stakeholders to 

exchange information, offer solutions, and share stories about what works and what doesn’t. We 

encourage you—our readers—to write to us about 

your activities that foster teamwork, promote innovation, and strengthen community involvement. 

Only by working together can we achieve “federal 

cleanups that put citizens first.” 

Partners In Progress 

for outstanding improvements to the remedial —James Woolford, FFRRO Director 

Office of Solid Waste and 

Emergency Response 

(5106G) 

February 2003 

www.epa.gov/swerffrr/ 

and Ogden, Utah, innovation and diligence are putting 

cleanups ahead of schedule and are creating new business 

districts that will stimulate the local economies. Finally, we 

cover a former Army base in Alexandria, Virginia, that 

became a flourishing residential community including 

parks, a library, and an elementary school. 

Effective and timely cleanups are an integral part of redevelopment, and excellent cooperation and communication 

remain the cornerstones of the cleanup process. This issue 

of PIP highlights exemplary team efforts to improve 

cleanups and respond to crises. Our page 1 article focuses 

on a multi-agency team that consolidated efforts to successfully battle a fire at a site in Camp Hale, Colorado, 

contaminated with abandoned military munitions. In 

another article, we spotlight a team of federal, regional, and 

local government agencies that was recently recognized 

Members of the Camp Hale, Colorado, fire crew stand ready 

investigation and feasibility study at a former federal waste 

dump in Aiken, South Carolina. 

These successes reinforce the idea that we must continue 

pushing new boundaries to increase the effectiveness of 

cleanup technologies, processes, and policies. Only through 

progressive remediation, redevelopment, and revitalization 

of brownfields and other potentially contaminated sites can 

we ensure all our nation’s resources are used to their full 

potential while keeping environmental and human health a 

top priority. 

We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. 

For more information, visit us on the Web at 

<www.epa.gov/swerffrr>. 

2 
Chicago Ridge Fire 

<Continued From Page 1> 

was complicated by the fact that the fire was 

located in an area contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO). The East Fork 

Valley area had been closed in 2000 following 

the discovery of live rifle grenades and a mortar round. 

As a result of the UXO contamination at 

the site, authorities had to work quickly but 

very carefully to address the fire and the risk 

that it posed. The United States Forest Service 

(Forest Service), along with the Omaha 

District Corps of Engineers (Corps), the 

Colorado Department of Health and 

Environment (CDPHE), and an Ordnance A lightning strike in the forest caused the fire, which threatened an area contamSafety Specialist from the St. Louis District of inated with unexploded ordnance from former defense activities. 

the Corps, worked together to formulate a 

feasible approach to extinguish the fire. 

Through brainstorming and teamwork, the Forest 

Service, Corps, and CDPHE decided on a response that 

took into account the specific site characteristics and contamination. The parties involved focused on what each 

separate group could best contribute to the effort. The 

Forest Service fire crews worked with the ordnance specialists from the Corps to ensure that they responded 

appropriately to the threat of any UXO they might 

encounter while fighting the fire. 

“Both teams sat down to figure out their constraints and 

put together a response based on those constraints,” said 

Jeff Swanson of CDPHE. “By having people in the field 

who knew the terrain and had an ordnance background, 

the team was able to come up with a workable response to 

carefully hiked away from the area. Along the way, they 

encountered a live rifle projectile, but with the Corps’ ordnance knowledge and instructions, they returned safely. 

“A little over two days after learning of the fire, the UXO 

and fire crews worked professionally, cooperatively, and 

safely to execute the operation in mutual support of each 

other in a safe and effective manner,” said Swanson. 

As a result of this particular incident, CDPHE, the 

Forest Service, and the Corps worked to create a standard 

protocol for dealing with fires at Camp Hale in the presence of UXO contamination. An interim protocol 

developed immediately following the incident was finalized 

in late July. The protocol distinguishes several UXO fire 

hazard areas in order to immediately identify the appropriate response based on UXO contamination in a particular 

the fire.” 

After a safe, ordnance-free path to the fire was cleared, 

the fire crew entered the area and had the fire under control 

within a matter of hours. After extinguishing the fire, crews 

area. In addition, the protocol clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in any response activities. 

Thanks to this protocol and the cooperation that created it, 

CDPHE, the Forest Service, and the Corps will be able to 

more effectively respond to future fires on federal lands. 

Federal Facility Redevelopment Breathes 

New Life into Local Economies 

Army Facility Becomes 

Home Base for Modern 

Suburban Community 

Cameron Station, a 101-acre complex in 

Alexandria, Virginia, is the site of a former Army installation that was successfully 

transformed into a thriving community of 

single family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. The community includes more than 2,000 

housing units and commercial space as well as a community 

center with recreational and health facilities. 

Beginning in the 1950s, Cameron Station provided general support to the Military District of Washington, 

including a steam plant, a grounds maintenance facility, 

print shops, and a photo laboratory. Cameron Station also 

became the headquarters of the Defense Logistics Agency. 

In 1988, the 

Celebrating

Success 

<Continued on Page 4> 

Partners In Progress 

3 
Army recommended closing the site and relocating its activities. During the closure process, hazardous materials,

including poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin, lead,

pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, trichloroethylene

(TCE), and chlorinated hydrocarbons, were detected in the

site’s soil and groundwater.

EPA, the Army, the Virginia Department of

Environmental Quality, and the city of Alexandria participated in the site cleanup. To prepare the site for closure, the

cleanup team removed leaking underground storage tanks

and PCB oils from transformers. In addition, contractors

performed soil excavation and treatment, sewer trap cleaning, and asbestos removal. The cleanup team also used soil

vapor extraction to treat petroleum contamination at the

site of a former gas station.

In 1996, following these cleanup activities, the Army

sold 101 acres of the property to Greenvest L.C., with the

remaining 63 acres transferred to the city of Alexandria for

use as a park. Although early cleanup actions have been

completed, the Army, state, and EPA continue to monitor

and treat the TCE contamination in the groundwater with

an onsite pump and treat system. The team is working to

determine the length of time they must continue using the

pump and treat system at the site.

Revitalized Naval Complex Puts Local

Economy in Ship-Shape Condition

The former Naval Complex in Charleston, South

Carolina, is making waves in the Base Realignment and

Closure (BRAC) community by boasting one of the fastest

job replacement rates following base closure in 1996.

During the past six years, the number of jobs has grown

from 500 to more than 4,200. Approximately 1,000 of

these jobs are federal, with the remainder spread among

more than 70 private sector companies. 

In addition, in 2002, the city of North Charleston was

awarded part of the land for its ambitious Noisette Project.

A major redevelopment plan for a largely blighted area in

the southern part of the city, the Noisette Project will transform three-quarters of a mile of former base property into a

river-front park along the Cooper River. The park will

include a mix of natural preserves and recreational facilities,

with the first phase of construction planned for completion

in 2003. 

Established in 1902, the Charleston Naval Complex

quickly became the Navy’s third largest home port. The site

housed operations for a variety of naval activities, including

a 21-pier ship yard, training and supply centers, and a hospital. When the BRAC Commission announced site

closure, nearly 30,000 Navy employees were working on

the 1,600-acre complex. When the base formally closed, the

Navy gave the city the deed to 288 acres and 120 buildings

on the property.

4Partners In Progress

Modern town homes now line the streets at Cameron Station, a

former defense complex in Alexandria, Virginia.

A local community newsletter announces plans for the Noisette

redevelopment project, which uses part of a former naval base

in Charleston, South Carolina.

Federal Facility Redevelopment

<Continued From Page 3>
5 Partners In Progress 

Decades of naval activity left the site contaminated 

with environmental hazards including heavy metals, 

asbestos, and petroleum products. To speed up corrective 

action, the Navy, working with EPA Region 4 and the 

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental 

Control, chose to pilot an innovative contracting 

approach—a guaranteed fixed-price contract—and contributed $28.8 million to the project. This contracting 

approach grants almost full management and financial 

responsibility for the site cleanup to independent contractors. To date, cleanup measures have included asbestos 

and underground storage tank removal, soil extraction, 

and groundwater monitoring. 

The Navy also supplied initial funding to establish the 

Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority, an 

entity that attracts new companies to occupy former base 

property. In addition, local government and businesses 

established a second development entity, the Charleston 

Regional Development Alliance, to promote economic 

growth both on the former base and in the surrounding 

community. These agencies’ recruitment efforts have 

encouraged 99 new companies to settle near the base, 

adding more jobs and $2.2 billion of direct capital investment to the region’s economy. 

Cleanup Transforms Defense Depot 

into Award-Winning Business District 

Aformer federal facility in Utah has been recognized for 

its successful redevelopment. The Business Depot 

Ogden was awarded the prestigious Facility of the Year 

Award by the National Association of Installation 

Developers (NAID) in August, 2002. This award recognizes facilities that make outstanding achievements in 

revitalizing BRAC communities. 

Business Depot Ogden currently occupies 6.5 million 

square feet of warehouse space, or 75 percent of a former 

Department of Defense (DoD) site. Since the construction 

began, the business district has created or retained more 

than 1,000 jobs, and job growth has occurred at a rate of 

423 percent during the past four years. 

Business Depot Ogden is the result of cleanup and redevelopment activities at the former Defense Depot Ogden. 

Established in 1941, this former DoD distribution depot 

stored, maintained, and shipped a variety of defense-related 

materials. Although it wasn’t identified for closure until 1995, 

EPA and DoD began cleanups in the late 1970s to address 

the heavy metals, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds 

that contaminated the site’s soil and groundwater. 

To date, all aspects of the remediation meet or exceed 

the goals stated in the formal Reuse Plan created by the 

redevelopment team. In addition, infrastructure improvements at the site—sewer, power, water, roadways, and 

landscaping—are eight years ahead of schedule. 

“The demand outlook for reuse of Defense Depot 

Ogden is extremely positive,” said Mike Pavitch, director 

of the redevelopment authority. DoD, U.S. EPA, EPA 

Region 8, and the Utah Department of Environmental 

Quality continue to monitor cleanup activities at the site. 

As parcels of land are remediated, DoD transfers them to 

the Ogden Local Redevelopment Authority to be incorporated into the business district. 

Innovative Cleanup Paves Way for 

Advanced Technology at DOE Site 

Thanks to a unique process for identifying and remediating contamination, more than 40 percent of the 

former Mound Plant facility in Ohio has been transferred for redevelopment and is now the home of the 

growing Mound Advanced Technology Center. Nearly 

10 years after redevelopment began, this new business 

and industrial park hosts 32 businesses employing more 

than 350 workers. 

Beginning in 1948, Mound Plant operated as a major 

research, development, and production site for the U.S. 

Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) weapons and energy 

defense projects. Early research activities took an environmental toll, however, and EPA placed the site on the 

Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 

because of heavy radioactive and volatile organic compound contamination. In 1993, as the need for defense 

The scenic skyline at the new Business Depot Ogden in 

Ogden, Utah. <Continued on Page 6> 
EPA Joins E-Government with EDOCKETS 

EPA recently unveiled a new Web 

service, EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) to update its regulatory 

process. Formerly the Regulatory 

Public Access System, EDOCKET is 

one of EPA’s responses to the emerging 

demands of e-government. This new, 

user-friendly service will spur public 

involvement in EPA’s rule-making 

process by providing electronic access 

to Federal Register notices, support 

documents, hearing transcripts, and 

public comments through its Web site. 

In addition to searching and viewing 

documents, the public can also submit 

comments electronically. Documents 

become available for viewing after processing is complete. 

EDOCKET currently contains documents from the following EPA offices 

and programs: 

• Resource Conservation & Recovery 

Act (RCRA) 

• Superfund 

• Office of Water (OW) 

• Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) 

• Oil Spill Program (Oil Pollution 

Act) 

• Office of Pollution Prevention and 

Toxics (OPPT) 

• Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP) 

• Office of Environmental 

Information (OEI) 

• Office of Enforcement and 

Compliance Assurance (OECA) 

To access EDOCKET, visit 

<www.epa.gov/edocket>. 

6 Partners In Progress 

research decreased, DOE decided to decommission and 

redevelop the Mound site. 

Today, the Miamisburg Mound Community 

Improvement Corporation (MMCIC) is responsible for the 

site’s redevelopment, while EPA, DOE, and the Ohio 

Environmental Protection Agency take the lead on environmental cleanups. The federal government has committed 

$800 to $900 million to the cleanup project, which is 

scheduled for completion by 2006. 

All potential release sites have to be identified as needing 

no further action before the land is transferred for redevelopment. To speed land transfer, the team is using an 

innovative approach to the cleanup effort—investigating 

approximately 400 smaller “potential release sites” rather 

than the nine larger operable units identified in the Federal 

Facility Agreement. This approach saves the team time and 

effort because it allows them to focus on contaminated 

areas individually and address them appropriately. 

Otherwise, all of the small problem areas would have to be 

treated as a larger group and would be subject to a lengthy 

evaluation process. 

The core cleanup team evaluates each potential release 

site and decides if it needs no further action, a response 

action, or further assessment. As part of this evaluation, the 

team considers how MMCIC wants to use the land before 

deciding on appropriate cleanup and conducts a residual 

risk assessment as a final check. This assessment involves 

compiling all final soil and groundwater data and verifying 

that the risk is acceptable for commercial reuse. Thanks to 

this new cleanup process, EPA has deleted from the NPL 

three of the four parcels of land which were then transferred for redevelopment. 

An aerial view of the Mound Advanced Technology Center in 

Miamisburg, Ohio. 

Federal Facility Redevelopment 

<Continued From Page 5> 
EPA Proves That 

Communication + Cooperation = 

Success + Savings 

Finding the formula for effective federal facility 

cleanups can be a challenge, especially when multiple 

agencies with different priorities are part of the equation. That is why EPA honored three organizations for 

improving the cleanup process at a Superfund site in 

South Carolina. Thanks to their efforts, they accelerated 

the project schedule by two years and saved approximately 

$5 million. 

In June 2002, EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and 

Emergency Response (OSWER) awarded the OSWER 

Cost Savings Award to a team consisting of EPA Region 4, 

the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the South 

Carolina Department of Health and Environmental 

Control (SCDHEC). The award recognizes the team’s ability to cost-effectively accelerate the remedial investigation 

and feasibility study (RI/FS) process for the Old 

Radioactive Waste Burial Ground in Aiken, South 

Carolina. The burial ground, a 76-acre area used for general disposal of radioactive and mixed waste from 1952 

through 1974, is part of the Savannah River Site, a DOE 

facility that produced nuclear materials for U.S. defense 

programs until 1988. 

Traditionally, developing an RI/FS strategy requires 

comprehensive data collection and risk assessment, followed by extensive formal documentation that gets 

reviewed by all involved parties. This process can often be 

extremely time consuming, as formal documents are 

exchanged for comments until all constituents reach 

agreement. EPA, DOE, and SCDHEC—the three agencies that signed a Federal Facility Agreement for the 

site—set a precedent by completely overhauling this conventional process. 

The agencies believed that a central team of decisionmakers could more effectively reach consensus through 

regular discussions than by repeatedly exchanging and 

reviewing written comments. The agencies formed a core 

team of representatives who met face-to-face at critical 

points during the project to discuss “scoping summaries”—informal documents that provide comprehensive 

but concise snapshots of the project’s status. These summaries included all information necessary for making 

informed decisions quickly. 

To maintain focus and to keep meetings productive, a 

DOE contractor provided professional technical facilitation. The facilitator ensured that all members of the core 

team reached consensus on all issues, especially those being 

heavily debated. Ken Feely, the project manager for EPA 

Region 4, says this new process proved to be invaluable. 

“These meetings allowed us to turn our efforts towards 

decision-making instead of reviewing documents,” he said. 

In addition to improving communication through 

decreased documentation and facilitated meetings, the 

team also took advantage of existing data to accelerate project completion. Data from already existing monitoring 

wells indicated that dangerous levels of contaminants— 

including volatile organic compounds, tritium, and 

lead—had migrated through the soil and into the underlying groundwater. The team decided that this information 

was sufficient to evaluate site conditions and that they did 

not need additional data to determine action was necessary. This data, and the extremely large volume of waste at 

the burial ground site (7.125 million cubic feet) allowed 

the core team to eliminate other possible but more expensive response actions. The team decided that 

excavation/disposal of the waste in the burial ground was 

not feasible and instead decided to consolidate highly conThis new process proved to be 

invaluable. These meetings 

allowed us to turn our efforts 

towards decision-making instead 

of reviewing documents. 

—Ken Feely, EPA Region 4 

taminated soils from three nearby areas into existing space 

at the burial ground. This approach combined several 

potentially separate decisions into one final action, saving 

a substantial amount of time and money. 

The reduced documentation included in the overhauled 

RI/FS process allowed the core team to devote more of its 

time and energy to discussing project details, which proved 

to be a valuable learning process for all of those involved 

in the Savannah River Site project. The time and money 

saved during this project demonstrate how improved communication and cooperation can translate into success and 

savings. Feely, affirming the benefits received from this 

new process, stated, “This new process fosters trust among 

parties. You can’t put a price on that.” 

Partners In Progress 

7 
Five Federal Facilities Achieve Construction 


Fiscal Year 2002 saw 42 Superfund sites reach construction completion, five of which were federal facilities. 

A construction completion site is a former toxic waste 

site where physical construction of all cleanup actions is 

complete, all immediate threats have been addressed, and 

all long-term threats are under control. Construction completion of a site is a significant benchmark in the cleanup 

process because it means contaminants are no longer threatening the health and well-being of the surrounding 

community or spreading uncontrolled through the soil, air, 

surface water, or groundwater. It also means that, even 

though long-term cleanup actions might still be operating, 

the site is usually ready to be reused for economic, social, or 

environmental purposes. 

Brunswick Naval Air Station, Maine 

The Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, 

occupies 3,094 acres and contains three areas that were 

used for landfilling the station’s household, office, and other 

wastes. Other areas have been used for fire training purposes and for disposal of various hazardous wastes, including 

acids, caustics, solvents, and building materials, including 

asbestos. Nearly 3,000 people live on the base, and an ele8	 mentary school, a college, and a hospital are located within 

one mile of the base’s western boundary. Area surface water 

is used for recreation, irrigation, and commercial fishing. 

The Navy revitalized the site in three phases: initial 

removal actions, long-term remedial actions focusing on 

cleanup of specific areas of contamination, and long-term 

monitoring, and operation and maintenance. According to 

the site’s preliminary close out report (PCOR) issued in 

September 2002, all cleanup actions have been completed, 

and the Navy has begun long-term monitoring to assess 

the effectiveness of cleanup actions. 

Cleanup team members use global positioning technology to 

record the location of sampling sites at Brunswick Naval Air 

Station in Brunswick, Maine. 

The Navy performed a review in 2000 and found that all 

remedies implemented protect human health and the environment. The review also recommended several 

modifications, including optimizing the groundwater pump 

and treatment remedy, and confirming plume boundaries 

for soil contaminated by cleaning solvents. As of October 

2002, the pump and treatment system remedies were complete, and Phase 1 of the field work to confirm plume 

boundaries had been performed. Phase 2 fieldwork to 

install new monitoring wells to completely bracket the 

plume is planned for fall 2003 or spring 2004. A Record of 

Decision (ROD) for the old acid caustic pit—the last 

remaining site—was signed in September 2002, implementing a remedy of monitoring and property restrictions 

for groundwater. 

“Getting the ROD for this last site was a major accomplishment, as it allowed the Brunswick Naval Air Station to 

qualify for construction completion,” said Michael Barry, 

former regional project manager for the site. A previous 

removal action at this site had been unsuccessful in clearing 

low level cadmium contamination from the groundwater. 

Fort Wainwright, Alaska 

Fort Wainwright occupies more than 900,000 acres in 

the Fairbanks North Star borough in interior Alaska. 

The site consists of a main post area (two miles east of 

Fairbanks on the Chena and Tanana Rivers), small arms 

range complex, and close-in range complex. Part of Fort 

Wainwright lies within the city of Fairbanks, with a population of 35,000. EPA added Fort Wainwright to the 

National Priorities List in 1990, but the base is still active, 

Partners In Progress 
 Completion


and is used to train infantry soldiers, test equipment, and 

facilitate the rapid deployment of troops worldwide. 

Soil and groundwater contamination at the post resulted 

from fuels, solvents, and pesticides being disposed of or 

spilled on the ground. The U.S. Army signed a Federal 

Facilities Agreement with EPA and the Alaska Department 

of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), outlining the 

schedule and process for cleaning up contamination, and 

identifying five operable units. To date, 15 active soil vapor 

extraction/air sparging/air injection treatment systems in 11 

source areas have been installed as a result of source area 

remedial investigations. A post-wide ecological risk assessment process identified the Chena River as the area most 

likely to be affected by multiple source area releases at Fort 

Wainwright. To evaluate this potential threat, the Chena 

River Aquatic Assessment Program was initiated to monitor 

the river’s health and measure the effects that cleanup 

efforts have on the river’s ecology over time. 

Another unique effort at the site is the use of the Army’s 

geographical information system (GIS) database in tandem 

with the digging permit process to ensure effective postwide and site-specific institutional controls. “The GIS 

database and permitting process help ensure all parties are 

aware of contamination levels,” said Dianne Soderlund, 

EPA remedial project manager. 

In addition to achieving construction completion, the 

cleanup team has signed RODs for each operable unit. “The 

success of the cleanup efforts are due in part to the outstandLone Star Army Ammunition Plant, 

Texas 

EPA added the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant to 

the National Priorities List (NPL) on July 22, 1987. 

This 19-acre site located in rural Bowie County, Texas, 

began operating as an ammunition plant in 1942. On-site 

activities included loading, assembling, and packaging 

munitions components. The Army also used the site as a 

detonation ground for disposing of explosives. These 

activities left behind elevated levels of explosives and 

heavy metals in the soil and groundwater. EPA added the 

plant to the NPL based on its concern that employees at 

the site might be exposed to these contaminants through 

direct contact with the soil. Although no contamination 

was known to have migrated off site, the agency was also 

concerned about the close proximity of several domestic 

water wells. 

Because of unexploded ordnance at the site, soil excavation was not a feasible remedy. The cleanup team therefore 

constructed erosion berms along the perimeter of the property to manage and clean up the contamination. In 

addition, the Army periodically conducts surface and 

groundwater monitoring to determine the concentration of 

contaminants. Finally, institutional controls, such as land 

use restrictions, access restrictions, and posted signs, have 

been placed at the site. The implementation of these remedies is scheduled to be evaluated every five years to ensure 

<Continued on Page 10> 

ing working relationship 

between EPA, the Army, 

and the ADEC,” Soderlund 

said. “Not once have we 

delayed a significant schedule in our cleanup activities, 

nor have we had to go to 

dispute resolution.” 

Partners In Progress 

9 
Partners In Progress 

Completions Achieved 

<Continued From Page 9> 

their effectiveness as long as hazardous wastes continue 

to be present on the site. 

Currently, an infiltration layer has been placed along 

with the top soil, which has been seeded with rye, native 

bermuda grass, wildflowers, clover, and a mix of other 

wild vegetation. The cleanup plan originally included the 

installation of two monitoring wells as a part of operation 

and maintenance activities. The cleanup team completed 

installation of the first well; however, the second well was 

not installed due to geologic restrictions. The team issued 

a PCOR for the site on September 24, 2002. 

Old Navy Dump/Manchester Lab, 

Washington 

The U.S. Army transferred ownership of the Old 

Navy Dump/Manchester Lab near Manchester, 

Washington, to the U.S. Navy in 1924. The Navy used 

this 40-acre site along the western shore of Clam Bay in 

Puget Sound, for the construction, repair, maintenance, 

and storage of submarine nets and boats until the 

1970s. Also the home to the Naval firefighters school, 

the site was used to dispose of wastes containing PCBs, 

heavy metals, dioxins, petroleum products, and asbestos. 

Because of the dump’s location, water from the bay 

eventually eroded the dumping site, releasing contaminants into the water. Individuals at the site were at risk 

of exposure to contaminants through skin contact and 

accidental ingestion of contaminated soil or the ingestion of shellfish from intertidal areas. Local reliance on 

groundwater as a source of drinking water also caused 

concern as a possible source of human exposure. 

Remedial action included enclosing the dump by constructing an underground wall to surround the area to 

prohibit migration of the contaminants. In addition, the 

surface of the dump was covered with a protective cap. 

As a result of the cleanup efforts, people are now able 

to walk through the site to gain access to the beach. Prior 

to the cleanups, the risk of exposure to contamination 

was too great to allow public access. The cleanup team 

announced that they completed all remedial construction 

and the PCOR was signed on September 30, 2002. The 

site currently houses an EPA analytical lab as well as a 

National Marine Fisheries Service lab. 

Sacramento Army Depot, California 

The Sacramento Army Depot is a 485-acre supply 

depot that primarily was used for receiving, storing, 

issuing, maintaining, and disposing of electronics supplies. The wastes resulting from the site’s operations were 

discharged to unlined sewage lagoons, burned, or buried 

on site—contaminating onsite soils and groundwater and 

causing pollution to migrate offsite. About 50,000 people 

live within three miles of the closed base, and the Army is 

transferring the property to the city of Sacramento. 

The Army found that soils contained heavy metals 

such as lead, cadmium, and chromium, which had also 

entered the groundwater. To treat the contaminated 

groundwater, the Army initially used a pump-and-treat 

system. Eventually, volatile organic compound (VOC) 

concentrations decreased to levels that met Sacramento 

County sanitary sewer system discharge requirements. 

Groundwater monitoring data currently shows that the 

heavy metals are no longer contaminants of concern, 

allowing the Army to discharge extracted water directly 

to Sacramento’s sanitary sewer system. 

The Army also conducted remedial activities to remove 

heavy metals from the soil, and performed vapor extraction to remove the VOCs from soil around the Tank 2 

site, once occupied by a 1,000-gallon waste solvent storage tank. A later sampling of the soil around the Tank 2 

site confirmed that it was remedied. All soils are now 

considered clean. 

For oxidation lagoons, the Army excavated and stabilized contaminated soil with Portland Type II cement and 

consolidated the soil with several burn pits. The Army 

decided to take a two-phase approach for burn pits. First, 

it used soil vapor extraction to remove VOCs from the soil 

and solidified the contaminated material. Lastly, the Army 

excavated a well used in 1946 and 1947 for disposing of 

spent dry cell batteries and other debris, stabilized the soil, 

and placed it in burn pits. 

“Sacramento Army Depot was the first BRAC installation in Region 9 to achieve the construction complete 

status,” said Rich Seraydarian, EPA section chief. “The 

depot has always been viewed as a major BRAC success 

story, from both the cleanup and property transfer 

aspects.” The Army issued a PCOR for the site in 

August 2002. 

10 
Two Federal Facilities Deleted from NPL


Sudbury Training Annex, 

Massachusetts 

I

n January 2002, the Sudbury Training 

Annex in Massachusetts became the 

first federal facility in New England to 

be completely deleted from EPA’s 

Superfund National Priorities List 

(NPL). Today, nearly 2,200 acres of the 

Annex belong to the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service for use as the Assabet 

River National Wildlife Refuge. 

“Success of the cleanup is rooted in 

the cooperative spirit of the technical 

review committee, EPA, the Army, 

and the Massachusetts Department of 

Environmental Protection,” said 

Christine Williams, EPA project manager. “We all wanted a refuge and 

worked hard to create a reasonable 

cleanup program.” Of the remaining 

land, the Commonwealth of 

Massachusetts owns the 24-acre Puffer 

Pond. The U.S. Air Force will own 

four acres, and the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency will own 72 acres. 

The Annex was an Army installation covering 2,750 acres. It served as 

an ammunition depot, ordnance testing station, troop training and research 

area, and laboratory disposal area. EPA 

placed the Annex on the NPL in 

1990, and it was designated for closure 

in 1995. To ensure the integrity of the 

cleanup, the Army will continue to 

monitor landfill caps and groundwater. 

Restrictions will remain in place for 

current and future uses of the land and 

groundwater. 

Luke Air Force Base, 

Arizona 

Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in 

Glendale, Arizona, became the first 

active Air Force installation to be 

deleted from the Superfund NPL in 

April 2002. The 4,000-acre base will 

continue to oper­

“The successful cleanup and final deletion 

more than 625 cubic yards of contaminated soil, including removing more 

than 65,000 gallons of jet fuel from 

soil in storage areas. The cleanup team 

also set up numerous groundwater 

monitoring wells around the site. 

“The successful cleanup and final 

deletion of Luke AFB can be attributed to the teamwork among the Air 

Force, Arizona Department of Health, 

and EPA Region 9 representatives on 

the cleanup team,” said Rich 

Seraydarian, a section chief in the 

ate as an advanced 

fighter pilot train- of Luke AFB can be attributed to the ing station, a 

function it has teamwork among the Air Force, Arizona 

served since 1941. Department of Health, and EPA Region 9 

During the 

World War II era, 

representatives on the cleanup team.” 

plane discharges


and waste disposal


from aircraft


maintenance and light industrial oper­


ations released potentially hazardous


wastes, including petroleum residues,


cleaning solvents, and VOCs. These


materials contaminated the base’s soil


and groundwater, prompting EPA to


officially place the site on the NPL in


1990. Since starting cleanup activities,


EPA and the Air Force have treated


—Rich Seraydarian 

EPA Region 9 

Superfund Division at EPA Region 9. 

The Air Force will continue to monitor groundwater at the site and 

provide annual reports to the regulatory agencies, in addition to performing 

five-year reviews, to ensure that the 

implemented remedies remain protective of human health and the 

environment. 

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