NEWS RELEASE 2003-01
January 6, 2003

Public Invited to the January PCT Meeting

MASSACHUSETTS Military Reservation (MMR), Cape Cod, Mass.—Officials of the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) announced today that the Plume Cleanup Team (PCT) will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, 2003, at Falmouth Holiday Inn, 291 Jones Road, Falmouth.

The PCT is a citizen advisory team that provides advice regarding the environmental investigation and remediation activities to the regulatory agencies and the AFCEE Installation Restoration Program (IRP). The IRP is the organization responsible for groundwater and soil cleanup on the southern portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

The two main meeting topics are the results of the Five-Year Review and a discussion of the Chemical Spill 10 (CS-10) Feasibility Study's upcoming activities and timeline. The Five-Year Review Report, which is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a scheduled review of all 80 sites on the MMR for which the Air Force has the lead cleanup responsibility. The purpose of the review is to determine whether cleanup decisions and existing systems are still protective of human health and the environment. AFCEE has completed the review and will be issuing the document for an informal public comment period (dates to be determined) after the PCT meeting.

A presentation on upcoming activities and timeline for the CS-10 Feasibility Study also will be given. The primary source of the CS-10 groundwater plume is the 38-acre area of the former Boeing Michigan Aerospace Research Center (BOMARC) Missile Site and Unit Training Equipment Site (UTES) located along the northeast edge of MMR. The primary contaminants of the CS-10 plume are trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). Portions of the CS-10 plume have been identified as upwelling into the northwest corner of Ashumet Pond and the western portion of Johns Pond, although the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has determined that they do not pose a health threat to recreational users of the ponds.

Other meeting topics include brief updates on the Chemical Spill 19 (CS-19) and Chemical Spill 4 (CS-4) groundwater plumes and reconstruction of the Fuel Spill 1 (FS-1) Treatment Plant.

The public is encouraged to attend this meeting and interact with members of the citizen advisory team, as well as representatives of AFCEE and the regulatory agencies. Agendas may be obtained in advance by calling the IRP Community Involvement Office at 508-968-4670 ext. 5982.

For more information, please contact Mr. Douglas Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Specialist, at (508) 968-4678, ext.2; Fax (508) 968-4673; or E-mail doug.karson@mmr.brooks.af.mil.