| 20 October 97 Dear Community Member: A few weeks ago, I sent you a letter announcing the start of the decision process and public comment period for the Storm Drain 5 (SD-5) South groundwater plume emanating from the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). Enclosed with that letter were fact sheets describing the plume, the groundwater treatment technologies, and the alternatives under consideration to clean up the plume. The purpose of this letter is to introduce the next phase of the decision process and to invite you to attend a posterboard session and public meeting on November 12. A posterboard session and public meeting describing the comparison of proposed alternatives will be held on Wednesday, November 12. The posterboard informational session will begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by a presentation at 6:30 p.m.. The meeting will be held at Mashpee High School at the intersection of Route 151 and Old Barnstable Road in Mashpee. Please call the Community Involvement Office at (508) 968-4678 for more information. We are now entering the next phase of the decision process, which involves the decision criteria matrix document. The matrix is a tool being used by the remedial project managers from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to compare and evaluate the plume response alternatives. Working with hydrological, ecological, human health, and other technical specialists, the remedial project managers have filled out the first two categories of the matrix, which evaluate whether or not the alternatives meet basic human health and environmental criteria, and how well each alternative will work. The third category of the decision criteria matrix evaluates how acceptable each alternative is to the public and specific "acceptance groups." This part of the matrix will be filled in by the acceptance groups, which include the public-at-large, affected neighborhoods, citizen teams, Senior Management Board selectmen, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Natural Resource Trustees, EPA, DEP, and Department of Defense. Enclosed in this package is a fact sheet providing an overview of the evaluation of the alternatives, as well as a copy of the matrix itself. A more detailed discussion of the matrix and a description of alternatives that were considered can be found in the document entitled "SD-5 South Plume Response Decision Criteria Document. Copies of this document can be obtained at the main libraries in Falmouth, Bourne, Mashpee, Sandwich, and the U.S. Coast Guard library on base; on our website (http:www.mmr.org); or by calling the Community Involvement Office at 508-968-4678. In order to participate effectively in the decision-making process, AFCEE, EPA, and MassDEP remedial project managers encourage you to review the alternatives and the decision criteria matrix (as described generally in the enclosed fact sheet and in more detail in the matrix document) and submit your comments on the alternatives. To comment on the alternatives that have been proposed, please submit written comments by 5:00 p.m. November 21st to: HQ AFCEE/MMR You may use the acceptance criteria portion of the matrix to indicate the alternative(s) you prefer or you may submit written comments. If you would like to use the matrix, simply fill in a full circle for alternative(s) that you prefer, a half-circle for alternatives you can accept but do not prefer, and an open circle for alternatives that you do not find acceptable. Written comments can also be submitted via electronic mail by sending a message to jwhitaker@mafmh.ang.af.mil or by using the comment form on our Internet homepage (http://www.mmr.org). Once the acceptance criteria part of the matrix is complete and the public comment period has ended, the remedial project managers from AFCEE, EPA, and MassDEP will meet and recommend the preferred alternative for cleaning up the SD-5 South plume. The decision that AFCEE makes and announces on December 15th will be the alternative that will be presented in a draft execution plan in February 1998. It will then be designed, constructed, and started up by the EPA-enforceable deadline of June 22, 1999. Your involvement in the decision criteria process is critical. Your involvement ensures that the alternative selected not only cleans up the plume and meets regulatory requirements, but also is acceptable to the affected communities. We look forward to working with you through the decision process and developing an alternative that achieves the goal of cleaning up the SD-5 South plume in a manner that is acceptable to the affected communities. I hope to see you at the meeting on November 12th. If you have any questions, please call the Community Involvement Office at 508-968-4678. Sincerely,
JIM F. SNYDER Attachments:
|
