NEWS RELEASE
2005-10 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. —
Officials of the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) recently announced
that a soil treatment system for a portion of the Chemical Spill 10 (CS-10) source area
was shut down on April 18, 2005. The soil vapor extraction (SVE) system began
treating contaminated soil in February 2002 and has removed almost 5 pounds of
contaminants from the soil. Recent monitoring data indicated that there was no
further need to operate this system because of the low-level or non-existent contaminant
concentrations in soil. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have concurred with the AFCEE
decision to shut down this system. The primary
objective of installing and operating the CS-10 SVE treatment system was to remove
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from the
subsurface. The cleanup action was performed to prevent or reduce leaching of
solvents and TPH from site soils to groundwater. A SVE system extracts contaminants
from the soil in vapor form. By applying an air vacuum through a series of
underground wells, contaminants were pulled to the surface. Contaminants were
removed from the vapor using a process which heated the vapor and then passed it through
vapor-phase carbon. A total of 79
areas have been identified as having the potential for contamination release to the
environment. To date: 42 of these areas require no further action because of the
lack of contamination; 23 have been completely cleaned up; 12 are currently being cleaned
up; and 2 are still under investigation. Background:
The CS-10 source area is located adjacent to the northeastern boundary of the MMR and is
the area where contaminants that contribute to the CS-10 groundwater plume were initially
released to the environment. The CS-10 source area was used for multiple purposes,
including the maintenance of ground-to-air missiles at the Boeing Michigan Aerospace
Research Center and as an Army National Guard unit training equipment site where
maintenance and storage of vehicles occurred. These operations used hazardous
materials and generated chemical and fuel-related waste products. Multiple
investigations were conducted in the 1990’s to identify the extent of the CS-10
contamination on and off-base. In November 1998, a Record of Decision (ROD) was
signed for the CS-10 source area which outlined the final cleanup plan for this area.
The final cleanup plan agreed to in the ROD by AFCEE and EPA, with MassDEP
concurrence, outlined that contaminated soil would be excavated and/or addressed with a
SVE treatment system. In 2001, more than 1,500 tons of contaminated soil was
excavated from the CS-10 source area and disposed of at a licensed disposal facility off
base. The contaminated soil was removed until the remaining soil left in the
excavation met acceptable state levels of TPH for site closure. The CS-10
groundwater plume starts on base at the source area and moves off base with groundwater
flow. There are currently three treatment systems operating to cleanup the CS-10
groundwater plume. The CS-10 In Plume and the Sandwich Road systems are located on
base and the Northern Lobe extraction well is located on Hooppole Road in Mashpee.
The In Plume system treats the central portions of the CS-10 plume that are located on
base. The Sandwich Road treatment system was installed on the base boundary to
contain the plume and prevent it from continuing to move off base. The extraction
well on Hooppole Road was installed to treat the northern lobe of the leading edge of the
plume. A final cleanup plan for the CS-10 groundwater plume will be made available
for public comment in 2006. For more information, please contact Mr. Douglas Karson, AFCEE/MMR Community Involvement Lead, at (508) 968-4678, extension 2; Fax (508) 968-4673; or E-mail doug.karson@brooks.af.mil.
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