James D. WernerDirector, Air & Waste Management Division

Cleanup Successes and Challenges…

26 October 2007

Dover AFB ERP Acceleration Initiative

• Committed cooperation between Air Force, EPA, and State transforms processes and accelerates program –Achieved Remedy in Place (RIP) milestone at

all 59 ERP sites – 8 years ahead of DoD goal–Signed 6 Records of Decision for 39 sites in

only 6 months – an Air Force record –Obtained EPA & State buy-in on 36 intricate

technical documents in just 12 months

DOVER AFB SUCCESS STORY - ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

PROGRAM (ERP)Accelerated Cleanup Supports the Mission • Dover initiative focuses on restoring land for

military operations as quickly and cost effectively as possible, while protecting human health & the environment

• In addition to achieving RIP, met cleanup objectives and completed response actions at 27 sites

• Opened up 54 acres of formerly restricted land for use in supporting the base’s mission

CONTAMINANT ISSUES1. Jet Fuel Contamination

– Locations:• Y, Z, and AA parking pads and G Taxiway• Control Tower and Buildings 201, 202, & 204

– Cleanup: Fuel recovery (mechanical pumping) & biodegradation (injection of fuel-eating microbes)

2. Cl Solvent Contamination in Groundwater

– Location: Under approximately ¼ of the base– Cleanup: Accelerated anaerobic biodegradation

(injection of organic carbon to feed native microbes)

Dover AFB Environmental Restoration Success

• Construction of groundwater cleanup remedies covering 620 acres of contaminant plumes in only 7 months

• deployed 7 separate field crews simultaneously to construct Accelerated Anaerobic Biodegradation

• Installed 251 injection wells & injected over 10 million gallons of organic carbon biodegradation substrate (soybean oil and lactate)

Dover AFB Environmental Restoration Success

• Completed cleanup activities at 27 sites (achieved cleanup objectives and/or met cleanup standards) achieving Response Complete milestones

• Current status of Dover’s 59 cleanup sites: −

34 are Response Complete with land use controls in place

−

25 are Remedy in Place with groundwater cleanup ongoing

ROD Signing at Dover AFB May 2006

USAF, EPA and Delaware DNREC

Dover AFB Environmental Restoration Success

• Installation of 251 permanent injection and monitoring wells associated with groundwater cleanup remedies

Dover AFB awarded the Secretary of Defense

Environmental Restoration Award in June 2007

– Award recognizes the Department of Defense installation with the most outstanding Environmental Restoration Program (ERP)

– Judging criteria focuses on progress in meeting DoD environmental cleanup goals, innovative actions taken to accelerate progress and reduce costs, and program integration with the military mission.

C-5 Taxis Over Restoration Site Constructed under Taxiway

History

Surf clamming operations occur off the northeast coast of the United States

History

Discarded Military Munitions (DMM) removed from ocean floor during surf clams harvesting

SEA WATCH

SEA WATCH

SEA WATCH

SEA WATCH

Clamshell Stockpile

Residential Driveway

75mm CWM Projectile75mm CWM Projectile 24 Feb 0624 Feb 06

75mm CWM Projectile75mm CWM Projectile 28 Feb 0628 Feb 06

Mark II Hand Grenades

2 of 3 Categories of Chemical Weapons Being Addressed

1. Treaty-Driven Stockpile Disposal - - - Nine Sites

2. Treaty-Driven Non-Stockpile Work — nearly complete

3. Buried and Sea-Dumped– Little attention

Buried and Sea-Dumped

• Exact location, type and amount uncertain• Location changing• Includes classified, unknown, and operational

range sites• Safety-driven (NOT Treaty driven)• Treaty applies when recovered• Requirements uncertain

Ocean “Dumps”• Large quantities, unknown condition• 73 identified locations in Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian

Oceans, Mediterranean Sea, and Mississippi River• Possibly Chesapeake Bay and other unlisted sites• No clear requirement for even a plan yet, but

assessment language in FY2007 Defense bill• No funding stream (BRAC, FUDS, or Environmental

Restoration)

CWM Locations

1964 1964 Chemical Chemical

DumpDump

**CWM CWM 75MM75MM

MEC MEC DiscoveriesDiscoveries

CWM CWM 75MM75MM

**

Area 615Area 615

Deep Water Disposal Sites (East Coast)

Visit Cape Henlopen State Park(Former Ft. Miles)

Risk management issues

• Leave in place or recover?• Store or destroy?• Less toxic weapons (Mustard and Arsenicals) tend to

be more persistent than nerve agent• Secondary wastes (especially arsenic) • Fate and Transport research needed for both ocean

and land• Integrate technology development with requirements

development

Army multiple offices, changing roles

Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health

• Army Environmental Center — program manager for Military Munitions Response Program at Active Installations

• US Army Corps of Engineers (feudal organization) — FUDS and other sites

• Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Product (part of Chemical Materials Agency) — once recovered

Core Group & National Academy of Sciences• Others

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Tracking

• EPA asked DOD (J.C. King) to track munitions EOD incidents

• Rule being finalized, but No standard data sets

• No standards for tracking reports across various services

• Established as part of DOD munitions safety regulations

Proposed Legislation

• Sponsored by Sen. Akaka & Rep. Abercrombie (HI)

• Requires records review of chemical weapons dumps & and annual report

• Amend shipping maps• Conduct research of sites & releases• Authorizes R&D cooperative Agreements

Known Deep Water Disposal Site (Chemical Warfare Material - 1964)

• Munitions (CWM) loaded at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland

• Army loose-dumped 1,700, 75MM projectiles from single barge rounds

• Disposal site located:– About 170 miles off shore– At a depth of approximately 9,800

feet

History• Property owners purchase clamshells for use for:

– Surfacing driveways, parking areas, etc.– Landscaping

• EOD responses to requests for support of explosives and munitions emergency

– Clam processing plants – Private property (31) in Delaware and Maryland– Dover Air Force Base (DAFB) CWM incident with injuries

(July 2004)

• Army DASA(ESOH) tasks North Atlantic Division, Baltimore District to:– Work closely with state and federal regulators, the media, and

property owners– Investigate properties– Conduct fact finding investigation– Provide safety assistance