NEWS RELEASE
2005-29 MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, Cape Cod, Mass. - Officials from the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) recently announced that the cleanup of contaminated soil at the Chemical Spill 4 (CS-4) site has been completed with the issuance of the final Chemical Spill 4 (CS-4) Removal Action Report. The report contains details of the cleanup and has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The cleanup of contaminated soil was performed to protect public health and the environment. The CS-4 site
is a former vehicle maintenance area that included a former gasoline station and is
located in the central region of the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR).
Between 1994 and 2003, a total of more than 17,000 tons of contaminated soil was
excavated from the CS-4 site. Subsurface investigations conducted between 1994 and
1996 concluded that concentrations of soil contamination in the maintenance area exceeded
cleanup levels and therefore needed to be removed from the site. More than 13,000
tons of contaminated soil were excavated from these areas of the CS-4 site and treated
using an on-base thermal treatment unit. Heat was used to remove contaminants from
the soil (in vapor form) and contaminants were then removed from the vapor using carbon
filters. Additional work in 2001 identified more soil that needed to be removed from
the site. Soil excavated during 2002 and 2003 was transported off-site as a
non-hazardous material and disposed of in a state-permitted landfill. A total of
three underground storage tanks (USTs) were also removed from the site between 1996 and
2002. Results of soil sampling conducted in 2003 indicated that contaminated soil
removal was complete for the entire CS-4 site. The removal
action at CS-4 prevents exposure to humans, animals and/or plants from soil contaminated
with metals, pesticides, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Additionally, removal of
contaminated soil eliminates potential impacts to groundwater. Copies of this report
are available at the Bourne Public Library and can be found on the IRP/MMR website, www.mmr.org. 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. To learn more about the cleanup program visit our website at www.mmr.org Background The CS-4 site was used as a vehicle maintenance area and storage
yard from 1940 to 1983. The area included a former gasoline station, a former bus
terminal, a suspected waste disposal pit, and piles of sand and debris. The soil
cleanup at this site was focused on two main areas, a vehicle maintenance yard located
south of West Truck road and a gasoline station located north of West Truck road.
Initial soil and groundwater investigations of the CS-4 area were conducted in the
early 1990’s and identified that both soil and groundwater were contaminated from
historical activities conducted at the site. In November 1993, an extraction, treatment, and infiltration system
began operating to clean up groundwater contamination that was located on and off-base.
In May 2003, AFCEE, with concurrence from EPA and DEP, turned off the CS-4
treatment system because a more effective treatment system was needed. The improved wellfield design for the CS-4 plume has been designed
to capture nearly the full extent of the plume. Treated water will be discharged to
two infiltration galleries (similar to a septic leaching field) and four re-injection
wells. The treatment plant will use granular activated carbon to remove VOCs from
the groundwater. AFCEE has completed construction of the new treatment building and
the CS-4 well field (i.e. wells, piping, pumps, etc.). The CS-4 system began
operation in November 2005 and is anticipated to operate until 2012. By summer 2006,
the treatment plant will also process contaminated groundwater from five other plumes.
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