NEWS RELEASE 2003-36
November 3, 2003

Contaminated Soil Removed From Former Missile Site at MMR

Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), Cape Cod, Mass. — Officials of the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) announced today that the cleanup of contaminated soil at seven of nine identified areas of the former BOMARC missile site on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) has been completed and is documented in a recently issued final report. 

“This represents significant progress in the cleanup of a major source area of contamination on the military base,” stated John Schoolfield, AFCEE project manager.  “The BOMARC site was the principal source of the CS-10 groundwater plume, which has migrated off-base and flows beneath several Mashpee neighborhoods as well as Ashumet and Johns ponds.”

Mr. Schoolfield noted that all residences in the area of the plume have been connected or are in the process of being connected to municipal drinking water supplies, the ponds remain safe to use for recreational activities, and groundwater treatment systems are currently in place cleaning up contaminants from the plume.

“Work on the two remaining sections of the BOMARC site is still underway,” he added, referring to the ongoing cleanup of jet fuel contamination from an underground storage tank and the performance of an ecological risk reassessment for the Eastern Storm Sewer Drainage Impoundment area.

The entire 38-acre area, the former location of the Boeing-Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) missile site and related support structures, is located within the boundary of the MMR just north of the Sandwich Gate.

Constructed in 1958, the BOMARC missile site was operated by the U.S. Air Force from 1960 to 1973.  The site maintained approximately 28 BOMARC ground-to-air missile launcher systems in a state of operational readiness.  The Massachusetts Army National Guard (ARNG) has used the former BOMARC buildings since 1978 for the maintenance and storage of vehicles in an area now called the Unit Training Equipment Site.

Contaminants from the Air Force operations principally involved the release or spill of cleaning solvents, oil, fuels, paints and paint removers.  Initial work began in 1989 to determine the extent of the site’s contamination.  The major soil cleanup activity took place between April 2001 and July 2002.

Cleanup of the site involved the excavation of 1500 tons of contaminated soil and disposal of materials in an off-Cape landfill.  The site was then restored with clean backfill and graded.  Details of the BOMARC source area cleanup are documented in the September 2003 Final Remedial Action Report Area of Contamination CS-10/FS-24, which was recently approved by officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

In addition to the Air Force soil removal activities, the ARNG began the demolition and removal of the remaining unused BOMARC buildings and support structures in August 2001.  This activity is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.  In conjunction with the demolition, the ARNG excavated and disposed of 6,000 tons of contaminated soil from the site.

In 1995, the Air Force removed 16 drainage structures, associated piping and surrounding soil from the BOMARC area as part of the Drainage Structure Removal Program.  Two drainage structures were cleaned and filled in place with concrete.  In addition, 31,550 gallons of liquids were removed from the structures and 702 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed.

In 1985-86, contaminated soil also was excavated and removed from the site in the Fuel Spill-24 (FS-24) Source Area.  This activity cleaned up a 500-gallon release of No. 2 fuel oil that occurred in 1985 during the removal of an underground storage tank.  The excavated area was backfilled with clean sand.

For more information, please call Mr. Doug Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Specialist, at (508) 968-4678, ext. 2.