The Navy's First Ready for Reuse Determination
With effective remedies in place, all 9,700 acres
of the facility have been transferred to the City of
McGregor for redevelopment. The property proved
attractive to prospective tenants due to the existing
infrastructure and buildings from the military uses, and
its proximity to major cities, a regional airport, and
onsite rail service. Incentives offered by the city also
helped to attract tenants quickly. Tenants at the new
McGregor Industrial Park, including Dell Computer
Corporation, Ferguson Plumbing Company, General
Micrographics, In Situ Forms, SpaceX, and McLennan
County Electrical Cooperative, have helped to
generate 1,000 new jobs and have invested over $3
million. A new indoor arena was also constructed and
is now a regular regional attraction - bringing over
40,000 people to the McGregor area for events.
In 2006, EPA issued to NWIRP McGregor the first Navy
non-BRAC Operating Properly and Successfully (OPS)
determination, indicating that all remediation systems
have been constructed and are operating as designed.
NWIRP McGregor was also the first Navy facility to
receive an EPA "Ready for Reuse" determination,
which acknowledges that environmental conditions
at the property are protective of human health and
the environment for the anticipated use. Additionally,
the NWIRP McGregor Post Closure Order (PCO) was
the first Navy PCO approved by TCEQ, which scaled
the 9,700-acre RCRA permit down to 16.4 acres, and
significantly accelerated the City of McGregor's ability
to redevelop and revitalize the facility.
New Rot
For more information, call or write:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Mail Code: 5106P
Washington, DC 20460-0001
Phone: (703) 603-0048
www.epa.gov/fedfac
i Region 6 Federal Facilities Section
1445 Ross Ave, Ste 1200
Mail Code: 6PD-F
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: (214) 665-3170
http://region6.epa.gov/websave/earth 1 r6/ready4reuse
http://www.epa.gov/earthlr6/6pd/rcra_c/pd-n/index.htm
Visit the FFRRO Web site for more information about federal facility cleanups, including success
stories, descriptions of new initiatives, policy and guidance documents, and our newsletter.
EPA-505-F-09-014 November 2009
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
FEDERAL FACILITIES RESTORATION AND REUSE OFFICE WITH
REGION 6 FEDERAL FACILITIES SECTION
Innovative Cleanup Leads to Navy's First EPA
Ready for Reuse Determination
Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant - McGregor
Dell McGregor Business Center
At the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in McGregor, Texas, commitment to innovation and partnership
led to accelerated cleanup and the achievement of several "firsts" for the U.S. Navy - including the first Post
Closure Order for the Navy in the State of Texas, the Navy's first non-BRAC Operating Properly and Successfully
determination for cleanup construction, and the Navy's first Ready for Reuse determination. Early and open
communication set the stage for productive partnership with local and state agencies, U.S. EPA, and Congress
fo overcome challenges and facilitate reuse.
Facility History
The former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant
(NWIRP McGregor) comprised 9,700 acres between
Dallas and Austin in McGregor, Texas. During its 50-
year lifespan, the former NWIRP McGregor facility
served the U.S. Army, followed by the U.S. Air Force,
and finally the U.S. Navy under several names. From
1942 until its closure in 1995, its mission included the
research, testing and manufacture of weapons and
solid-fuel rocket propulsion systems.
McLennan County Electric Co-op - One of the New Tenants
at the McGregor Industrial Park
United States
Environmental Protection
i Agency
-------
Formerly
Originally established on 18,000 acres as the Bluebonnet Ordnance
Plant by the Army Ordnance Corps in 1942, the facility was used to
manufacture bombs for World War II. When this plant closed in 1946,
a large portion of the property was deeded to Texas Agricultural &
Mechanical University for research and education. In 1952, the Air
Force acquired the remaining portion of the former Bluebonnet facility
to support their production of jet assisted take-off boosters and solid
fuel rocket propulsion systems. The Navy assumed ownership in 1966.
In 1973, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) assumed ownership of
the property and, for the next 20 years, the NWIRP McGregor operated as a government-owned/contractor-
operated facility dedicated to the production of solid propellant rocket motors used in missiles such as the
Shrike, Sparrow, Phoenix and Sidewinder.
At its operation peak, the facility employed nearly
1,400 people, making it the largest employer in
the area. Revenues from the facility supported the
economies of many local communities including
McGregor, Gatesville, Oglesby, and Valley Mills.
The facility closure in 1995 adversely impacted the
regional economy.
Environmental Investigation and Cleanup
In 1992, prior to facility closure, an aggressive multi-
phased Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) was initiated to identify
environmental concerns. The RFI was conducted in
response to environmental issues raised by a RCRA Facility
Assessment conducted by the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Due to historical activities
at the facility, soil and ground water had become
contaminated with substances such as industrial solvents,
energetics, heavy metals, petroleum products, and
perchlorate - a major component of propellants in solid
Trenching Machine Used in Biowall Construction fuel for rockets and missiles.
The Navy conducted extensive environmental investigation and remediation activities in partnership with TCEQ
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the late 1990s, the Navy conducted an Environmental
Baseline Survey (EBS) to provide the necessary data to determine the most effective remediation strategy.
The Navy performed a facility-wide energetics study to ensure the facility was safe from explosive materials.
This two-year study included the analysis of over 4,500 samples and certified 198 buildings as free of explosive
hazards.
Investigations found that groundwater contaminated with
perchlorate at levels exceeding the Texas drinking water standard
had migrated off-site in three major plumes. Because there were
no proven technologies available for perchlorate remediation,
the Navy investigated and implemented innovative remediation
technologies to address the perchlorate contamination. The
Navy's approach to the remediation included both in situ and
ex situ biological systems. The first step was to prevent any further
Media Backfilling of Biowall Trench
contaminant migration. After investigating the options, the Navy installed permeable reactive barriers (PRBs),
or biowalls, keyed into bedrock to both control migration and remediate the contamination through metabolic
degradation. The Navy installed over three miles of biowalls and 1,077 bioborings - making NWIRP McGregor
the first large-scale application of biowalls. Since becoming operational in January 2002, studies have shown
that the biowalls have been effective in both reducing the concentration of contaminants in the ground water
and reducing the volume of the contaminant plumes. Between January 2002 and January 2007, the biowalls
removed 4,500 pounds of perchlorate from ground water.
Restoration and Reuse
The Navy worked with the City of McGregor throughout the environmental investigation and remediation
process. A Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) was convened in 1996 to provide a forum for community members,
local and state agencies, environmental legislators, and the Navy to discuss and review remediation plans
and environmental concerns. The Navy's commitment to partnership and innovative technology resulted in
the expedited transfer of property for reuse and a cost-savings of over $20 million in construction costs and $3
million annually.
Ready for Reuse Ceremony
There were several challenges to the reuse of the former NWIRP McGregor facility. As a contractor-operated
facility, the typical provisions for transferring military property under the base closure laws did not apply; the
NWIRP McGregor was neither an active military base, nor was it closed as part of the Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) Act. To help move past these obstacles, special legislation was passed through Congress under
the National Defense Authorization Act of 1998, which then put NWIRP on the fast track for environmental
cleanup and property transfer. The Navy opted for phased divestiture that allowed them to transfer portions of
the property to the city as they became eligible. This would allow the city to bolster its economy through lease
agreements and tax revenues.
------- |