Community environmental fact sheet

8 Pages·1998·0.59 MB·English

by  Massachusetts. Dept. of Environmental Protection

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May 1998
Community Environmental Fact Sheet
OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP
UMASS/AMHERST
AT THE
MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION
Introduction STATUS OF SITES
MMR
This fact sheet provides an overview of cleanup Investigations at the have identified 79
activities at the MMR. It is part of a series of fact potential environmental problem areas, known as
sheets developed to address concerns about public sites. These sites were identified for further study,
health and environmental risk issues associated with and, if necessary, cleanup. Investigation and
the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). The cleanup ofthe sites follows the standard Superfiind
fact sheet series includes topics sugffVfRNMENJ rjQQjMEN 'omreoecte.ssO,fwthhiech79issidteess,cri1b9ehdaovne pbaegeen 2coomfpltehitsedfaocrt
• Groundwater COLLECTION
cleaned with regulatory concurrence and no further
• Exposure
action is needed; 21 have been completed or
• Risk Assessment fAv 6 °> tin cleaned and are awaiting regulatory concurrence.
• Public Health Assessment
The remaining 39 sites are currently in the latter
• Ecological Risk Assessme^jversity f MaSSachllSe titages of investigation. As part ofthe cleanup pro-
• specific chemicals
Depository Copy cess, 59,949 tons of contaminated soil have been
Terms identified in bold are defined in the glossary. treated from these sites and 185 drainage structure
locations have been removed and cleaned.
History
MMR
The is located on the upper western part of
MMR
Cape Cod. It covers approximately 30 square miles The has been used heavily by many military
and includes portions of the towns of Bourne, organizations dating back to the 1930s when the base
MMR
Mashpee, and Sandwich, Falmouth. The sits was first built. Aircraft runways, aircraft and vehicle
over the recharge area for the sole source maintenance areas, landfills and firefighter training
groundwater aquifer on which the towns rely for areas were often used for military purposes. These
their drinking water supply. The aquifer, referred to activities required the use of petroleum products,
as the Sagamore Lens, is a valuable water supply solvents, and other hazardous materials. Various
resource. hazardous wastes also were generated onsite. It was
AFCEE has a Community common practice for many years at the MMR, as it
was at other military bases and industrial facilities
Involvement program
throughout the country, to dispose ofwastes in unlined
to provide various
landfills and drywells, to dump and burn them at
opportunities for continued
firefighter training areas, or to just dispose of them
input and involvement.
wherever convenient. In addition, pipeline breaks and
accidental spills are known to have occurred at the
WATCH FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS OF
MMR. Today the generation, use, and disposal of
UPCOMING
hazardous materials is strictly managed and regulated
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES. to protect the environment.
This fact sheet was developed through a collaborative effort of the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence
(AFCEE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Massachusetts Department of Public
Health (DPH), Joint Program Office (JPO), and local officials.
1
1
MMR
The was added to the U.S. Environmental submits a Record of Decision to the EPA. The
Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priority List in Record of Decision describes how AFCEE plans to
1989 as a result of contamination at the base. clean up the site. Upon acceptance by the ERA, a
*
Commonly known as "Superfund," the National notice is placed in local newspapers to inform the
Priority List is a published list ofhazardous waste sites community ofthe cleanup decision.
in the country that are of highest priority. The
Next the cleanup system blueprints and associated
Installation Restoration Program (IRP) is responsible
plans are developed; this is referred to as Remedial
for investigating and cleaning up contamination from
Design (RD). Information about the design is
past practices at Department of Defense sites. At the
distributed to the community and construction of the
MMR,
the Air Force Center for Environmental
final remedy begins as outlined in Remedial Action
Excellence (AFCEE) manages the IRP. The EPA is
(RA) documents. Once the system is up and running,
responsible for ensuring the timely and effective
MMR MMR. the project moves into the Operations and
cleanup ofthe Superfund site by the The Maintenance (O&M) phase. During this phase,
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
review and updates take place, along with a
Protection (DEP) is responsible for ensuring
comprehensive evaluation of the system and site
compliance with relevant state environmental
performance every five years.
regulations and standards.
GROUNDWATER PLUMES
The Superfund program specifically addresses
hazardous waste releases resulting from practices
As contaminants filter through the sandy Cape Cod
discontinued before 1976. Current activities that may
soil, they encounter groundwater. This can result in a
affect the environment are not evaluated under
groundwater plume (plume). To date, 1
Superfund. ThisMMisRwhy the environmental groundwater plumes have been identified that flow
investigations at the are not all managed by the from the MMR. Many have moved beyond the base
IRP. For example, the Massachusetts Army National
boundary while some remain near their source area.
Guard is responsible for an intensive investigation These groundwater plumes are in various stages of
designed to determine what effects, if any, firearms
study and cleanup. Table provides an overview of
1
training operations have had on the groundwater,
the groundwater plumes, including the source of the
soils, and sediments beneath the impact area.
plume, the status of source treatment, the status of
THE SUPERFUND CLEANUP PROCESS groundwater investigation, the contaminants in the
plume, and the status ofplume cleanup.
The Superfund process consists of several phases that
Ofthe groundwater plumes,
1 1
lead to the ultimate goal of cleaning up the site and
providing a safe environment for the citizens living 2 have active treatment systems in place
near the site. Throughout the process, which is (FS-12, CS-4)
outlined by Federal law and regulations, there is 2 have long-term monitoring programs in
opportunity for local community involvement.
place (Eastern Briarwood, Western
First, a detailed study of the site is completed to Aquafarm)
identify the cause and extent of contamination at the
3 recently went through the decision
site and the possible threats to the environment and
criteria process which resulted in a
the people nearby. This study is known as a decision on how to treat each plume, and
Remedial Investigation (RI). Next, if further action for each ofwhich systems are now being
is necessary a Feasibility Study (FS) is prepared to designed (CS-10, Ashumet Valley, LF-
develop the options for cleaning up the site. After the
1)
RI and FS are completed, the information in the FS is
used to develop and present a Proposed Plan, which 1 has an active system in the northern part
is a fact sheet that describes the various cleanup of the plume, and went through the
options under consideration and identifies the option decision criteria process for the southern
preferred by AFCEE. If no further action is part ofthe plume (SD-5)
recommended, a decision document is prepared and 3 are currently under investigation to
distributed for public comment. The Proposed Plan is determine the extent ofcontamination.
distributed to the public, public meetings are held to (FS-28, FS-1,FS-13)
solicit input, and a public comment period is held.
=
Following the public comment period, AFCEE 11
The map in this fact sheet shows the groundwater foresee the need for permanent purchase of property,
MMR.
plumes and source areas at the Additional fact but believes that leases can achieve a satisfactory
sheets describing the groundwater contamination and agreement for all parties.
plumes in more detail also are available. Construction times may vary, depending on the
Construction Activities in the nature of work required. All safety precautions will
Community be taken during construction to protect human health
and the environment. For example, geotextile fabric
An element critical to the success of the cleanup of will be used to prevent rutting.
groundwater plumes is access to the land located
The public will be notified before construction
above the crucial areas of contamination in the
begins. Neighborhood notices will be issued in
plumes. For those plumes that have migrated beyond
advance. The property owner will be notified. Every
the base boundaries, those areas may be public or
effort will be made to avoid commuting hours, school
private property, in rights-of-way, near recreation
bus stops, seasonal activities such as nesting and
areas, and on base property. The property may be
hunting seasons, and to keep construction to regular
required for installing monitoring, extraction, or
daytime working hours.
reinjection wells; laying piping, or installing
recirculation wells. AFCEE has had exceptional cooperation to date from
commercial, private, and public property owners.
Before construction can begun, the appropriate
Without their participation, the cleanup program
property owners will be contacted by a real estate could not be at the point it is now. AFCEE looks
agent for the Department of Defense. He will outline
forward to working with the residents of Bourne,
the exact needs for that property, how long the
Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich, property owners,
property will be needed, and answer other questions
and those who enjoy the Upper Cape, to continue
the property owner may have. AFCEE does not
cleanup progress.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MMR
Additional information about the cleanup program at the is available on the program's website
(http://www.mmr.org). The website includes a variety of information, including technical documents, meetings
agendas and summaries, maps, glossaries, weekly reports, and news releases. It also includes links to other
websites, including those ofEPA Region DEP, DPH, and ATSDR.
1,
In addition, five local libraries house information repositories for the cleanup program. The libraries are:
Falmouth Public Library Mashpee Public Library Jonathan Bourne Library
123 Katherine Lee Bates Rd Steeple Street 19 Sandwich Road
Falmouth, MA 02540 Mashpee Commons Bourne, MA 02532
MA
[phone] Mashpee, 02649 [phone]
[phone]
Sandwich Public Library US Coast Guard Library
142 Main Street Building 5205, Ent Street
Sandwich, MA 02563 Otis ANGB, MA 02542
[phone] [phone]
The Administrative Record, which is a public record of all documents used in decision-making, is available for
review at the Falmouth Public Library or by contacting the IRP Office at [phone].
FS-12
Massachusetts Military
Reservation
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SourceArea
Plume Contour 4000 Plume Source
Concentrations exceeding MCLs ScaleinFeet Area Map
i (Representsan individualexceedanceofTCEorPCE)
TCE MCL= 5 ug/L PCE MCL= 5 Mg/L Massachusetts Military Reservation
CapeCod, Massachusetts
Concentrations exceeding MCLs Note NorthernsourceareasCS-19,
(RepresentsanindividualexceedanceofEDB) FS-14, LF-3, USCG/LF-3,
EDB MCL= 0.02 ug/L USCG/CS-1 arenotshown
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
AFCEE Community Joint Program Office EPA Community ATSDR
Involvement Office Barbara Larcom Involvement Louise House
Vanessa Musgrave [phone] Johanna Hunter [phone]
[phone] [phone]
U.S. Army National Massachusetts DEP Massachusetts DPH
Guard Impact Area Community Mari Cooney
Groundwater Study Involvement [phone]
Office Ellie Grillo
Don Consolmagno [phone]
[phone]
Glossary
aquifer: an underground geological formation proposed plan: a document that summarizes the
containing usable amounts ofground water that can preferred remedial action for a site and presents the
supply wells and springs. rational for the preference.
benzene: a major industrial chemical made from recharge area: an area of land where there is a net
coal and oil, it is to manufacture other chemical annual transfer ofwater from the surface to
compounds, and is a component ofgasoline. groundwater; where rainwater soaks through the
earth to reach an aquifer.
decision criteria process: a public decision-making
process used by the Air Force, EPA, and DEP at the recirculating well technology: a process for
MMR
to measure, compare, and evaluate plume capturing, treating, and releasing groundwater within
response alternatives against specific criteria. the same well. The process is not expected to
adversely affect the water table.
ethylene dibromide (EDB): a man-made additive
that was formerly used in aviation gasoline to control remedial investigation (RI): an investigation to
the build-up of lead in engines. gather and analyze the data necessary to determine
the nature and extent ofcontamination at a site.
extraction, treatment, and reinjection (ETR): a
system that extracts groundwater, treats it to reduce sites: the location where contaminant or
or eliminate contaminants and reinjects the treated contaminants enter soil, water, air or sediment.
water into the aquifer. SWOU
Southwest Operable Unit (SWOU): the
Feasibility Study (FS): a report that identifies and encompasses an area that includes
screens potential cleanup alternatives for a site that investigation/remediation ofthree plumes, FS-28,
requires further remedial action. FS-13andCS-4.
groundwater plume: a concentration of trichloroethylene (TCE): a man-made solvent used
contaminants in groundwater exceeding safe to dissolve or disperse another substance such as oil
drinking water standards, usually extending from a and is often used in metal degreasing.
A
distinct source. groundwater plume is defined by
multiple samples from multiple wells.
perchloroethylene (PCE): also referred to as
tetrachloroethylene; a man-made solvent commonly
used for metal degreasing and in dry cleaning
clothes.