EPA ID# NJ0570024018 McGUIRE AFB NEW JERSEY Site Description The McGuire Air Force Base site (MAFB) is an active facility that occupies more than 3,500 acres in a rural area of Burlington County, New Jersey. The base is bordered to the north by the community of Wrightstown, and to the east, south, and west by the U.S. Army's Fort Dix military installation. MAFB is located within the boundaries of the Pinelands National Reserve. The Pinelands are classified as Federal Land designated for the Protection of Natural Ecosystems. The primary source for both community and private drinking water supplies in the vicinity of the site is groundwater obtained from the various aquifers comprising the Atlantic Coastal Plain. There are two major drainage divides on site, and several streams to which surface runoff is directed. An extensive system of wetlands is found along both major surface water drainage pathways. MAFB originated in 1937 as an adjunct to the U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Dix and functioned under the control of the U.S. Army until 1948, when jurisdiction over the facility was transferred to the U.S. Air Force. Past activities at MAFB in support of operational missions created a number of waste sources of potential environmental concern. In 1982, the U.S. Air Force completed Phase I of the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) investigation "to identify, confirm/quantify, and remediate problems caused by past management of hazardous wastes" at the base. For the purposes of Hazard Ranking System scoring, four waste sources were identified: 1) Zone 1 Landfills (comprised of Landfill Nos. 4, 5, and 6); Landfill No. 2; 3) Landfill No.3; and 4) the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office. The four waste sources comprise only a portion of CERCLA eligible areas of the MAFB site. Although only four sources are scored at this time, any CERCLA eligible areas of concern, identified or unidentified at this time, and release associated with those areas, comprise the site. Decision documents concerning some of the waste sources were issued in September 1991; however, no removal actions or remediation associated with the waste sources have occurred. Phases of the IRP are currently ongoing at the MAFB, including Remedial Investigation and Site Inspection environmental sampling. Hazardous substances detected by analysis of surface soil, subsurface soil, waste, leachate, groundwater, surface water/sediment samples collected include volatile organic compounds, poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), inorganic hazardous substances. McGuire AFB 1 March 2002 ------- Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed by the Air Force, through Federal actions, with EPA oversight. NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 07/22/99 Final Date: 10/22/99 Threats and Contaminants Hazardous substances detected by analysis of surface soil., subsurface soil, waste, leachate, groundwater, surface water/sediment samples collected include volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and inorganic hazardous substances. A release to surface water of nickel and mercury is documented. Sediment samples collected from wetlands immediately downstream of Landfill No. 2 contained high concentrations of nickel and mercury. Cleanup Approach The Air Force, EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) have been meeting on a quarterly basis to address cleanup issues at McGuire AFB. The Air Force, in cooperation with EPA and the NJDEP, will prepare a Basewide Management Action Plan by October 2002, to address all sites at McGuire AFB requiring remediation. After the Plan has been finalized, the work required will be prioritized and scheduled. Environmental Status =:/= An draft Interagency Agreement (IAG) was prepared and transmitted to the Air Force in January 2001, by EPA. The site is participating in the Installation Restoration Program, a specially funded program established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to identify, investigate, and control the migration of hazardous contaminants at military and other DoD facilities. The EPA is preparing a 2nd draft of the IAG, responding to the Air Force's comments of October 2001. McGuire AFB 2 March 2002 ------- |