Record of Decision System (RODS)
OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE/CAMP EDWARDS
|Site Name:||OTIS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE/CAMP EDWARDS|
|Address:||OTIS AFB HERBERT RD|
|City & State:||FALMOUTH MA 02542|
|NPL Status:||Currently on the Final NPL|
|ROD Type:||Record of Decision|
The Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, whose Superfund name is Otis Air
National Guard, lies within the boundaries of the towns of Bourne, Mashpee and Sandwich, and abuts Falmouth,
Massachusetts. The MMR occupies approximately 22,000 acres and consists of several operating command units.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) managed the base until the end of 1973 when base management was transferred to the Otis
Air National Guard.
MMR is organized into four principal functional areas: Cantonment Area; Range Maneuver and Impact Area; Massachusetts National Cemetery; and Cape Cod Air Force Station. The Cantonment Area occupies 5,000 acres in the southern portion of MMR, this area is the location of administrative, operational, maintenance, housing, and support facilities for the base. This is the most actively used section of MMR. The Otis Air Force Base facilities, including the flight line, are located in the southeast portion of the Cantonment Area. The Range Maneuver and Impact Area occupies 14,000 acres in the northern 70 percent of MMR and is used for training and maneuvers. The Massachusetts National Cemetery consists of 750 acres along the western edge of MMR and contains the Veteran Administration cemetery and support facilities. The Cape Cod Air Force Station occupies 87 acres of the northern portion of the Range
Maneuver and Impact Area and is known as the Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System.
MMR activities that had the potential to contaminate the environment included the storage, handling, and disposal of solvents and petroleum fuels, as well as the leakage of these materials into sumps, leaching wells, storm water drainage systems, and the sanitary sewer system. Landfill operations, firefighter training, coal and ash storage, and numerous chemical and fuel spills also resulted in environmental contamination. The year round population is approximately 2,000 with an additional 800 nonresident employees. Intermittent use of the area for Reserve and National Guard activities increases the MMR population by as many as several thousand people. Both, year-round and seasonal residents live in the towns adjacent to MMR. A single groundwater flow system underlies western Cape Cod, including MMR. The aquifer system is unconfined and is recharged by infiltration from precipitation. It has been classified as a sole source aquifer.
The primary drinking water supply for MMR comes from a groundwater supply well located on the base and installed in glacial outwash. The adjacent towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich also derive their drinking water from supply wells within the recharge area of this aquifer. Falmouth has a reservoir for storage of drinking water obtained from groundwater. The water supply wells at MMR and the surrounding towns range from 40 to 412 ft deep, with the majority of wells extending to depths of 50 to 100 ft below ground surface, In areas where public water supply lines are not available, residents use private wells for domestic water supplies.
In November 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) placed MMR on the National Priorities List (NPL). A Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) between the Department of Defense, National Guard Bureau (NGB), U.S. Coast Guard, and USEPA, was signed in 1991 and updated in 1997. The FFA established a procedural framework for ensuring that appropriate response actions are implemented and required the Air National Guard to take the lead in the cleanup activities at MMR. In response to environmental contamination at MM., DOD implemented it multiphase Installation Restoration Program (IPR) at MMR. to identify and evaluate problems associated with past releases of hazardous substances. The IPR parallels the USEPA CERCLA investigation and cleanup process. The NGB and subsequently Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), followed USEPA guidelines for most IRP investigations performed between 1986 and 1989 and for all investigations performed since 1989.
In 1986, an extensive records search and review of available soil and groundwater data identified 73 areas at MMR as having potential for contamination. Four additional areas were later identified through anonymous sources and unrelated base construction projects, bringing the total to 77.
The selected action for Area of Contamination (AOC) FS-17 and AOC FS-19 is No Further Action. No further action is necessary to ensure protection of human health and the environment. Risks from all pathways at AOC FS-17 and AOC FS-19 are not sufficient to warrant remedial action. A 5-year review of AOC FS-17 and AOC FS-19 is not necessary. Removal actions completed at the AOC source areas removed soils containing hazardous substances that may have posed risk. The removal actions did not include the implementation of engineering or institutional controls to prevent exposure from hazardous substances because all potential hazardous substances were removed from the AOCs.
The No Further Action alternative for AOC FS-17 and FS-19 allows for unrestricted use of the sites because no remedial action is necessary to protect human health and the environment. No additional structures will be removed from AOC FS-17 and AOC FS-10. Additional soils will not be excavated. Groundwater will not be treated in situ, nor will it be extracted and treated. Additional soil and groundwater sampling will not be performed with respect to the sites.
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