|
 |
|
| |
Site Type: Long Term/National Priorities List (NPL)  |
NEWPORT NAVAL EDUCATION/TRAINING CENTER |
 | Click here for interactive map
Get an interactive map |
|
| Newport; Middletown; Portsmouth; and Jamestown, Rhode Island |
Newport County
| Street Address: | DEFENSE HIGHWAY (BURMA RD.) |
| Zip Code: | 02871 |
Congressional
District(s): |
01 |
| EPA ID #: | RI6170085470 |
| Site ID #: | 0101431 |
| Site Aliases: | U.S. Navy McAllister, DOD/NETC/McAllister Point Landfill, Naval Station Newport
|
|
| Site Responsibility: | Federal |
| NPL LISTING HISTORY |
| Proposed Date | 07/14/1989 |
| Final Date | 11/21/1989 |
|
Site Description
The 1,063-acre Newport Naval Education/Training Center (NETC) site has been used by the Navy as a refueling depot since 1900. An 11-acre portion of the site along the shore of Narragansett Bay, known as McAllister Point Landfill, accepted wastes consisting primarily of domestic refuse, acids, solvents, paint, waste oil, and oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 1955 to the mid-1970s. Five tank farms are located in the Melville area; one is located in Midway. Sludge from nearby tank farms was dumped on the ground or burned in chambers. Other contaminated areas on site, such as the Melville North Landfill, are classified as Formerly Used Defense sites and are being addressed separately. Surface water and groundwater flow toward the bay, which is used for boating and fishing. One tank farm is located 300 feet from a coastal wetland. Other areas of concern include Old Fire Fighting Training Area/Site 09, Tank Farm Four/Site 12, Tank Farm Five/Site 13, Gould Island, and Derecktor Shipyard. An estimated 4,800 people obtain drinking water and 220 acres of land are irrigated from private wells located within 3 miles of the site. Approximately 10,000 people live within 3 miles of the site.
Threats and Contaminants
Monitoring wells detected petroleum products and heavy metals, including lead, in the groundwater. Groundwater also is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PCBs, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Landfill soil and leachate contain heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and PCBs. Initial studies have shown that none of the areas on site pose an immediate threat to public health. However, the site warrants a study to assess potential long-term impacts. The tidal action of the Narragansett Bay may spread contamination to the shore, marine environment, and nearby wetlands.
Cleanup Approach
The site is being addressed in six stages: initial actions and five long-term remedial phases focusing on cleanup of the McAllister Point Landfill, Tank Farms, Old Fire Training Area, Derecktor Shipyard and the remaining site areas which include Coddington Cove Rubble Fill, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Disposal Area, and the Gould Island Electroplating Shop.
Response Action Status
| Initial Action | A 1991 investigation revealed elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in soils. This study led to the removal of the contents of Tanks 53 and 56. These tanks were closed pursuant to the State of Rhode Island's underground storage requirements. Another action is scheduled to remove known soil contamination and to address groundwater contamination around the tanks. |
| McAllister Point Landfill: | A Record of Decision was signed in 1993 for the landfill. The remedy called for capping of the landfill. This action will eliminate the infiltration of rainfall through waste materials and reduce the generation of leachate released to the near shore marine environment. This source control remedy also required a series of additional investigations to determine if the landfill gases will require treatment, if additional measures are necessary to address the lateral flow of groundwater and delineate near-shore contamination of the sediments, and whether Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (NAPLs) are present. Design of the landfill capping remedy was completed in 1994. Construction of the remedy was completed in December 1996. Annual reports are submitted by the Navy on the Operations, Maintenance and Monitoring activities completed each year at the lanfill to maintain the protectiveness of the remedy. A second Record of Decision (ROD) was signed in February 2000 for Marine Sediments/Management of Migration to address contaminated marine sediment adjacent to the landfill. Dredging was completed in October 2001 and eelgrass restoration efforts occurred in March 2005 and September 2006. Monitoring of the Marine Sediment remedy occurred for 5 years, from 2004 through 2008. The results of the 5 rounds of monitoring will be evaluated in the Five Year Review planned for 2009 to assess the effectiveness of the Marine Sediment remedy. |
| Tank Farms | An investigation into the nature and extent of site contamination was completed in 1992. An interim cleanup remedy to contain contaminated groundwater originating from Tank Farm 5 was selected in 1992. A groundwater pump and treat system has been installed to eliminate the flow of contaminated groundwater from the source area soils to the adjacent Narragansett Bay. Additional investigations are scheduled that will further define the nature and extent of contamination associated with all of the Tank Farms, characterize the sludge material in the oil/water separator, confirm the contamination levels in on-site groundwater, and determine the significance of inorganic contaminant levels in soil and groundwater. The Navy has decided to fast track investigations at the five tank farms in order to facilitate reuse of the area as a golf course for Navy personnel. Although investigations will not be complete, the Navy is optimistic that construction of the golf course can begin in the fall of 2005. Investigation and cleanup of contaminated soils at Tank Farms 4 and 5 was completed in June 2007. |
| Old Fire Fighting Training Area | The Navy is currently evaluating the nature and extent of contamination at the site. A removal action was considered in 1998 but was not conducted because the contamination was widespread across the subsurface and would be better handled by a remedial action. The Navy plans to remove the contaminated soil by a removal action. The three mounds were excavated in the fall of 2004 and the rest of the contaminated soil will be excavated in the fall of 2007. The groundwater, soils, and sediments will be addressed in a ROD that is currently planned for September 2008. |
| Derecktor Shipyard | The Navy is currently evaluating alternatives to address the contamination in the sediments offshore and the soils onshore of the shipyard. An FS was prepared in 1998 but RIDEM disagreed over the appropriate sediment cleanup number. A revised FS is currently under review. Buried deposits of sandblast grit were discovered in December 2004 on the onshore area of the site and were investigated in 2005. A second removal action for sandblast grit will be completed in December 2007. A ROD is planned for December 2009. |
| Gould Island Electroplating Shop | Field work for the remedial investigation at Building 32 on Gould Island began in the spring of 2006. This study will identify the nature and extent of soil, sediment, and groundwater contamination. A Phase II RI is planned for the fall of 2007. Selection of a final cleanup remedy is planned for 2012. |
| Remaining Site Areas | Investigations into the nature and extent of contamination at the remaining site areas including the Coddington Cove Rubble Fill and the remaining tank farms are planned. |
| Naval Undersea Warfare Center Disposal Area | The RI work plan was approved in November 2006. Field work for the RI was completed in 2008. The RI Report will be submitted in 2009. |
| Enforcement Highlights | This site is being addressed under the Installation Restoration Program, a specially-funded program established by the Department of Defense (DOD) in 1978 to identify, investigate, and control the migration of hazardous contaminants at military and other DOD facilities. |
Environmental Progress
The removal of the contents of Tanks 53 and 56, the construction of a landfill cap over the McAllister Point Landfill, and the installation of a groundwater pump and treat system at the Tank Farms have reduced the potential for exposure to contaminants at the Newport Naval Education/Training Center site while additional cleanup actions are being planned. Contaminated sediment and debris has been removed from the area adjacent to the McAllister Point Landfill and the eelgrass has been restored. Contaminated soil has been excavated from Tank Farms 4 and 5. Contaminated soil and debris were removed from the Old Fire Fighter Training Area in 2005.
Current Site Status
The Naval Education and Training Center encompasses 1063 acres on the west coast of Aquineck Island in the towns of Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport, RI. The Base also encompasses the northern third of Gould Island in the Town of Jamestown, RI. The site includes multiple areas of contamination, including one landfill, a fire training area, a former shipyard, five tank farms, and varying degrees of groundwater contamination. The U.S. Navy is the lead agency for site investigation and cleanup, with formal oversight by EPA via a federal facilities agreement (FFA) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. EPA funded a Technical Assistance Grant to the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District to provide technical assistance to the community.
The cap was completed at the McAllister Point Landfill in 1996. The pump and treat system for the groundwater at Tanks 53 & 56 was shut off in 1998 and is currently under evaluation for a final remedy decision. Dredging offshore of the McAllister Point Landfill was completed in October 2001. Investigations are nearing completion at the Old Fire Fighting Training Area, NUWC Disposal Area, the Derecktor Shipyard, and Gould Island. Investigations at the Tanks Farms begain in early 2003 and investigations at the Coddington Cove Rubble Fill Area and the have been postponed until 2010 or later. Both the first Five Year Review, completed in December 1999, and the second Five Year Review, completed in December 2004, confirmed that all remedies implemented were protective to human health and the environment. Access is restricted at most of the remaining sites where remedies have not been implemented in order to minimize the potential threats to human health and the environment.
Site Photos
Links to Other Site Information
Newsletters & Press Releases:
Federal Register Notices:
Reports and Studies:
Decision Documents:
Other Links:
Site Repositories
Newport Public Library, Aquidneck Park, Newport, RI 02840
Middletown Free Library, Middletown, RI 02842
Portsmouth Free Library Association, Portsmouth, RI 02871
Contacts
| EPA Remedial Project Manager: | Kymberlee Keckler |
| Site Responsibilities: | Derecktor Shipyard and Gould Island |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 (HBT),
Boston, MA 02114 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1385 |
| E-Mail Address: | keckler.kymberlee@epa.gov |
| |
| EPA Remedial Project Manager #2: | Robert Lim |
| Site Responsibilities: | Old Fire Fighting Training Area and Tank Farms 1 through 5 |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 (HBT),
Boston, MA 02114 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1392 |
| E-Mail Address: | lim.robert@epa.gov |
| |
| EPA Community Involvement Coordinator: | Stacy Greendlinger |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street Suite 1100 (RAA)
Boston, MA 02114-2030 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1403 |
| E-Mail Address: | greendlinger.stacy@epa.gov |
| |
| State Agency Contact: | Paul Kulpa |
| Address: | |
| Phone #: | 401.222.2797 ext. 7111 |
| E-Mail Address: | |
| |
| EPA Remedial Project Manager #3 | Ginny Lombardo |
| Address: | 1 Congress Street, Suite 1100 (HBT),
Boston, MA 02114 |
| Phone #: | (617) 918-1754 |
| E-Mail Address: | lonbardo.ginny@epa.gov |
| |
|