Mid-Atlantic Superfund

EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia
Newport News

EPA ID# VA6210020321

3rd Congressional District

Last Update: May 2008

Other Names

None

Current Site Status

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing the cleanup of Ft. Eustis. Fort Eustis is on the National Priorities List (NPL), a list of the most seriously contaminated hazardous waste sites in the country.

Various cleanup measures have been completed at the site. Records of Decision (RODs) were signed for two sites, the DOL Storage Yard and the Oil/Sludge Holding Pond. The on-site remediation work has been completed for both of these sites. Interim Removal Actions (actions to address contaminants that pose an immediate threat) were completed at Felker Airfield Tank Farm in 1994, at Brown’s Lake in 1999, and at Bailey Creek in 2000. Also, a two-part Removal Action was conducted to address contamination at the Skeet Range site, adjacent to Bailey Creek.

Numerous sites are in the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) phase, during which alternative cleanup strategies are evaluated. These sites include Bailey Creek, Eustis Lake, Felker Airfield Tank Farm, the Fire Training Area, 1000" Rifle Range and the Former Skeet and Trap Range.

The Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment for Bailey Creek is currently being finalized. The remedial action to address any unnacceptable risks in Bailey Creek will likely take place in 2009-2010.

Various remedial alternatives for Eustis Lake are currently being evaluated in the draft FS. The ROD is currently planned for 2008 and the remedial action will take place in 2009-2010.

The RI for Felker Field is currently being revised and should be complete by 2009.

A pilot study to address volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in the groundwater at the Fire Training Area is planned for fiscal year 2008. A subsequent ROD and follow-up remedial action are slated for 2009.

The Former Skeet and Trap Range is being split up and addressed separately. The Upland Area of the Skeet Range will be addressed first and is currently in the earliest phases of the FS. The Wetland Area will be addressed following the Upland Area.

The RI/FS for Brown's Lake was completed in 2005; the ROD was signed in 2007. The selected for the site consists of excavation and off-site disposal from a ditch that drains into Brown's Lake, a storm water retention pond and institutional controls. This remedy is intended to address sediment contaminated with various pesticides, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) (including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)), and metals. Execution of the selected remedy is scheduled to take place from July - September 2008.

For the Milstead Island Creek Site, the proposed plan was released for public comment in October 2006. A public meeting on the Proposed Plan was held on October 26, 2006. No comments were received during the 30-day public comment period. The No Action ROD is expected in 2008.

Several closed and former ranges covered under DoD's Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) are located at Ft. Eustis. Initially, fifteen potential sites were identified for inclusion in the MMRP program. A Site Inspection (SI) Report completed in 2007 identified ten sites that were eligible for additional investigation. Remedial Investigations (RIs) for these sites will be initiated in the near future. Currently one MMRP site, the 1000" Rifle Range is in the planning phase for the RI/FS. This site was used as a small arms firing range from 1920-1941. Risks from MMRP sites and ranges include Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC), Munitions Constituents (MC), e.g. TNT, Nitroglycerine, certain metals such as lead, arsenic and copper, and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO).

A Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) between EPA and the Department of the Army was signed on March 25, 2008 and will become effective upon the closure of the 45 day public comment period and resolution of any comments. The FFA will outline cleanup goals and schedules, and establish enforcement protocols such as dispute resolution.

Site Description

Fort Eustis is located in southeastern Virginia, within the City of Newport News. Fort Eustis is on a peninsula formed by the Warwick and James Rivers. The installation covers more than 8,200 acres. Approximately 15,000 military personnel and civilians work, live, or train at Fort Eustis.

Fort Eustis is an active installation that is not scheduled for base closure. The Installation was originally established during World War I as a replacement-training center for Coast Artillery Corps units and a balloonist school. After being established as a permanent military installation in 1923, Fort Eustis was deactivated in 1931. Following deactivation, Fort Eustis was used as a federal correction camp, a Works Progress Administration facility, and a National Youth Administration facility. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Mulberry Island portion of Fort Eustis (i.e., the southern half of the Installation) was used as a bombing range for Langley Air Force Base. Fort Eustis was brought back into military service for World War II and was used by the Coast Artillery for anti-aircraft training and as a prisoner-of-war camp. In 1946, Fort Eustis became the transportation-training center for the U.S. Army.

Site Responsibility

Cleanup of this site is the responsibility of the Federal government.

NPL Listing History

This site was prosed to the National Priorities List of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites requiring long-term remedial action January 18, 1994. The site was formally added to the list on December 16, 1994, making it eligible for federal cleanup funds.

Threats and Contaminants

Contaminants of concern at the site include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) chlorinated VOCs, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene).

Additional threats at Ft. Eustis result from the presence of several MMRP sites. These threats include Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC), Munitions Constituents (MC) and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO).

Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available on the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC, web site at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hazdat.html

Cleanup Progress

A Record of Decision (ROD) for the DOL Storage Yard site was issued in 2001 to address soil and sediment contaminated with pesticides and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) directly under and surrounding the yard, and in the adjacent wetland and drainage swale areas. The on-site remedial action work for this site was completed in 2003. EPA approved Remedial Action Completion Report (RACR) for this site in June 2006. Long term monitoring (LTM) of the site is currently ongoing.

In 2002, a ROD was issued for the Oil/Sludge Holding Pond site. This ROD addressed the excavation and disposal of sludge and soil that was contaminated with petroleum and metals. On-site remedial action work at this site was completed in 2004. EPA approved Remedial Action Completion Report (RACR) for this site in September 2006. Long term monitoring (LTM) of the site is currently ongoing. Based upon the results of the LTM program, monitoring will be discontinued in 2008.

During a 1982 water quality study, the US Army Environmental Health Agency (USAEHA) observed fish with lesions in Brown's Lake. USAEHA recommended that the lake be off-limits to fishing. It has remained off-limits to fishing since that time. During subsequent investigations of Brown's Lake, sediment and water samples were collected and the biota of the Lake was examined. Pesticides, PCBs, and fuel hydrocarbons have been detected in the lake’s sediments. An Interim Removal Action (IRA) was conducted in 1999 to address the contamination at Brown’s Lake. The IRA involved draining the entire lake, excavating sediments from the upper drainage ditch, placing sediments in the deeper portion of the lake, capping the bottom of the entire lake with two feet of clean fill, restoring the lake and re-stocking it with fish. Post-IRA monitoring and a feasibility study was completed in 2005. A ROD for Brown's Lake was signed in 2007. Execution of the selected remedy is scheduled to take place from July - September 2008.

Bailey Creek is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and pesticides. PCBs were found in fish and sediment samples collected from Bailey Creek. In addition, surface water sampling revealed elevated levels of lead and PCBs in the creek. Sampling conducted during the summer of 1999 showed PCB concentrations over 2,200 parts per million (ppm) in sediment. An Interim Removal Action (IRA) addressing PCB hot spot contamination was completed June 2000. Over 6,600 tons of PCB contaminated sediments were removed and disposed off site. The site was back filled to its original elevations with clean fill and re-vegetated with wetland plants. Since the IRA did not remove all the contaminated sediments, a revised risk assessment will be part of the ongoing feasibility study (FS). In the spring of 2001, 41 sediment samples were collected and analyzed. Clams and mummichogs were also collected and analyzed from four locations within Bailey Creek. The Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment are currently being reviewed. An FS and Record of Decision will be developed after the RI/Risk Assessment are completed.

The Former Skeet and Trap Range site is located in the northern portion of the main post in the headwaters of Bailey Creek. It is bounded by Bailey Creek on the north, a wooded area on the east and west, and Lee Boulevard on the south. The Former Skeet and Trap Range operated from the 1960s to May 1998. Shotgun shells with lead pellets were used, and the pellets were shot into the upper end of Bailey Creek and the adjacent tree line and soils. The clay targets contain varying levels of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). During the remedial investigation (RI) for Bailey Creek, elevated levels of lead and PAHs were detected in the vicinity of the site, which was an active skeet and trap range from the 1960s until 1998. In 2002 and 2003, a two-phased removal action was conducted to address lead and PAH contamination, first in the open area of the Skeet Range site, and then in a portion of the adjacent wooded area. That action resulted in removal of over 3,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Fort Eustis is planning to evaluate the Former Skeet and Trap Range as two separate sites, the Upland Area and the Wetland Area. Both of these sites are currently in the remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) phase.

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