NEWS RELEASE
2004-23 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. —
Officials from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) recently
announced that cleanup actions for three source area sites have been completed.
These cleanup actions are documented in a recently released report entitled, Final
Storm Drain-3/Fire Training Area-3/Coal Yard-4 Remedial Action Report. Mr. Jon
Davis, Program Manager of the Installation Restoration Program stated, “The continued
cleanup of soil at source areas is very important to the success of the entire groundwater
cleanup program. These sites are no longer a threat to the groundwater or the nearby
ecosystem.” The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have concurred that cleanup
actions have been completed. The sites are located in the southeastern portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Two cleanup actions were completed at the Storm Drain-3/Fire Training Area-3/Coal Yard-4 (SD-3/FTA-3/CY-4) source area site. An interim removal action was completed in 1994 for the FTA-3 and CY-4 areas of the site, while a final remedial action was completed for the SD-3 area in 2002. Cleanup actions involved the removal of over 43,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. When excavation work was complete at all three sites, the excavated areas were backfilled with clean soil. The completed Final Storm Drain-3/Fire Training Area-3/Coal Yard-4 Remedial Action Report summarizes these separate cleanup actions and concludes that cleanup actions have removed contaminated soils to levels protective of human health and the environment and that no additional site investigation or cleanup actions are needed. Copies of the report can be found at the Bourne public library, and on the MMR website, www.mmr.org. For more information, please contact Mr. Douglas Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Specialist, at (508) 968-4678, extension 2; Fax (508) 968-4673; or E-mail doug.karson@brooks.af.mil. To learn more about the cleanup program visit our website at www.mmr.org BACKGROUND: During the 1980s, preliminary assessments were completed involving record searches, interviews, and review of available soil and groundwater data on MMR. Seventy-three areas were identified as having the potential for contamination release to the environment, some of which were categorized as Areas of Contamination, usually referred to as source areas. The SD-3/FTA-3/CY-4 sites were designated as areas of contamination and subject to Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) regulations, also known as Superfund. The MMR Installation Restoration Program manages the cleanup of these sites. The SD-3/FTA-3/CY-4 source area site consists of a storm drain located near the southeastern boundary of MMR and east of the runways in an industrialized area covering approximately 30 acres. The majority of this area is bordered by Granville Avenue on the west and the Air National Guard ammunition storage area on the east. A small portion is located east of the ammunition storage area. The SD-3 stormwater drainage ditch receives runoff from this area, the eastern edge of the aircraft maintenance ramp and the former Central Heating Plant. Cleanup actions at the SD-3 site included excavating 1,693 cubic yards of contaminated soils and transporting them to an off-Cape facility licensed to accept them. The cleanup actions and associated restoration activities described at the SD-3 site were completed between August 2001 and October 2002. One of the locations associated with the SD-3 area is near an on-base wetland and therefore cleanup actions and restoration of this area was coordinated with the Mashpee Conservation Commission. In early 1994, the National Guard Bureau (NGB), with concurrence from EPA and DEP, excavated coal, coal ash, and soil from the CY-4 and FTA-3 areas and disposed of these materials as sub-grade fill at the main base landfill. A total of 42,000 cubic yards of material was excavated from the CY-4 area in addition to soils from the FTA-3 area. The excavated areas were then backfilled with clean fill and capped with wood chips to restore the areas to their approximate original grades. Based on the results of soil sampling conducted in this area during the excavation, the NGB, EPA, and MassDEP determined that these materials and potentially contaminated soils had been effectively removed. The removal of these materials and soils reduced the potential for future leaching to deeper soils and possibly to groundwater.
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