NEWS RELEASE
2005-03 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. —
Officials from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) are holding a
30-day public comment period on the Draft Chemical Spill 19 (CS-19) Proposed Plan for
Interim Action (PPIA). The proposed work described in this document solely
addresses an interim cleanup remedy of monitoring groundwater contamination.
Concurrently, a feasibility study is being conducted by the Army’s Impact Area
Groundwater Study Program on the groundwater contamination in the Central Impact Area of
which CS-19 is a part. A final remedy for the groundwater contamination in the
Central Impact Area, including the CS-19 groundwater plume, will be presented for public
comment at a later date by the Army. The 30-day formal public comment period on
the CS-19 PPIA began on January 14, 2005 and will end on February 12, 2005. A
public hearing will be held on February 10, 2005 to accept formal public comments on the
CS-19 PPIA. The
contaminant of concern in the CS-19 groundwater plume is
hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine, otherwise known as Royal Dutch Explosives (RDX).
The recommended interim action presented in the CS-19 PPIA for addressing RDX in
groundwater is to continue monitoring of the plume. The plume is within the
boundaries of the MMR. This short-term action will be protective of human health
until a final cleanup plan is developed. It will ensure that no one is exposed to
RDX from drinking contaminated groundwater. Copies of the Draft CS-19 PPIA will be available for review during the public comment period at the main libraries in Bourne, Sandwich, Falmouth, Mashpee, at the Installation Restoration Program Office and on the MMR website: www.mmr.org/pubcommentperiod.htm. Written
comments may be submitted to:
HQ
AFCEE/MMR
Attn.:
CS-19 Groundwater Plan
322
East Inner Road
Otis
ANG Base, MA 02540-5028 By fax to: (508) 968-4673By electronic mail to:
doug.karson@brooks.af.mil By internet
to:
http://www.mmr.org NOTE: Comments submitted
before and/or after the 30-day formal comment period do not become part of the official
record and will not be considered before an interim remedy is chosen. A public hearing will also be held to solicit formal public comments on the CS-19 PPIA on February 10, 2005.
Public
Hearing:
February
10, 2005
6:00
to 7:30 p.m.
Bourne
Best Western
100
Trowbridge Road, Bourne 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: The Impact
Area is located in the central region of the MMR. The CS-19 site is located in the
west-central region of the Impact Area. The CS-19 site consists of a barren knoll
measuring approximately one acre in size, defined by a perimeter road with an approximate
125-foot radius. The larger Impact Area was used for military training, which
involved artillery firing from gun and mortar locations. CS-19 is an inactive
disposal site where ordnance disposal activities included weapon systems, heavy artillery,
mortars, rockets, and small arms. Numerous investigations have
been conducted in the CS-19 site area to determine the source, nature and extent of soil
and groundwater contamination. A preliminary assessment performed in 1991 was based
on aerial photographs and personal interviews. Findings from this initial assessment
suggest that the CS-19 site was historically used as an ordnance and military waste
disposal site where liquid wastes from unknown sources were reportedly disposed of in
addition to unexploded ordnance and rocket bodies. A 1992 site assessment, which
uncovered large amounts of buried ordnance debris, concluded that soil was contaminated
with chemicals consistent with ordnance disposal. Additional investigations were
conducted during the 1990’s which assessed the potential for both soil and
groundwater contamination. An investigation conducted in 1996 concluded that soils
at the CS-19 site are contributing RDX to groundwater. AFCEE conducted several Remedial
Investigations (RIs) at the CS-19 site between 2000 and 2003. The purpose of a RI is
to gather and analyze the data necessary to determine the nature and extent of
contamination at a site and to evaluate the risks to human health and the environment.
An RI also provides information for identifying and evaluating options for cleaning
up the site. During the RIs, surface and sub-surface soil sampling indicated that
concentrations of explosives decrease rapidly with depth. An RDX groundwater plume
originating from the CS-19 site was identified and mapped. -----MORE----- Computer modeling indicated that
the leaching of explosives related to the ordnance material at the site has been a
continuing source of the RDX groundwater plume. The findings of the RI recommend
preparation of an Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis (EE/CA) and Action Memorandum
to document a non–time critical removal action of the soil for cleanup at the CS-19
site in order to remove the source of the RDX groundwater plume. Following the RI and in
preparation of developing the non-time critical removal action, a geophysical survey was
conducted in November 2003 to identify where metallic objects may be encountered during
soil excavation. The results indicated that metal objects are distributed over much
of the site. Additional surveys were conducted in November 2004 after many of the
metallic items had been either removed or blown in place. Soil contamination at the
CS-19 site will be addressed through an EE/CA process, with the EE/CA and Action
Memorandum to be issued for public comment later this year.
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