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EPA PROPOSES TO LIST ALAMEDA NAS AS SUPERFUND SITE

Release Date: 5/10/1999
Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA, 415-744-2201

     SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially proposed listing the former Alameda Naval Air Station as a federal Superfund site today, a decision, if approved, that could help bolster the installation's cleanup and environmentally safe reuse.

     "Listing the Alameda Naval Air Station as a Superfund site will serve as a positive step toward remediating contaminated sites and turning the property over for reuse," said Keith Takata, director of the EPA's regional Superfund program.  "At federal facilities with the magnitude of concerns like those at Alameda NAS, we believe Superfund listing provides a framework for effective cleanup process in partnership with the EPA, the Navy and the state."

     The EPA has been working with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Navy without any formal cleanup agreement since 1993 to study the nature and extent of contamination on the 2,600-acre installation.  Listing the station as a federal Superfund site will provide a framework of enforceable schedules, penalty authorities that enhance accountability for the cleanup, and an ultimate decision maker for disputes that arise in the cleanup process.

     Groundwater and soil at various parts of the installation is contaminated with a variety of compounds, including solvents, pesticides, chromium and cyanide wastes, and PCBs. Although a considerable amount of soil and groundwater data have been collected basewide,  Alameda NAS has yet to complete any full cleanup plans. The primary actions taken to date resulted in the excavation of lead and PCB-tainted soils in two areas on the site, removal of sediment from storm drains, and an ongoing removal of soil and drain pipes with radiological contamination.  

     The EPA is currently holding a public comment period on the proposed listing that will run through July 9, 1999.  Comments can be sent to:

Carolyn J. Douglas
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (SFD-5)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105