Andrews Air Force Base
Most people think of polluted sites as being something industry does. Not so. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it has signed an agreement with the Department of Defense to remediate Joint Base Andrews (formerly Andrews Air Force Base) located in Clinton, Md. Although cleanup activities have been on-going at the facility, the federal facility agreement ensures that cleanup actions proceed with EPA oversight within an enforceable framework, in a manner that protects the community and the environment. The agreement will also give the EPA and the Air Force the framework for investigating new and evolving contamination at the base as it is discovered.
Joint Base Andrews is an active U.S. Department of Defense facility that occupies about 4,360 acres in Camp Springs, Prince George's County, Md., about five miles southeast of Washington, D.C. The facility was originally established as the Camp Springs Army Air Field in 1942 and became Andrews Air Force Base in 1947.
The Air Force (AF), EPA, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and Prince George's County health Department (PGCHD) in July 2001, identified 73 sites or areas of concern to be investigated under Superfund. Of these, the AF previously identified 23 sites and 11 Areas of Concern (AOCs).
This site was proposed to the National Priorities List of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites requiring long-term cleanup action on July 28, 1998. The site was formally added to the list May 10, 1999, making it eligible for federal cleanup funds.
Investigations have revealed the presence of numerous hazardous substances on site. These substances include lead, mercury, chromium, and cadmium; volatile organic compounds, such as tetrachloroethylene; semi-volatile organic compounds, predominantly polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons such as acenaphthene, benzo(a)pyrene, and fluoranthene; and polychlorinated biphenyls.
EPA, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and Prince George County Health Department (PGCHD) continue to work with the AF to accelerate cleanups. The first record of decision (ROD) was signed for a spill site in September 2005, and then one for a Fire TrainingArea in November 2005. These two RODs built on treatability studies initiated at the sites to remediate groundwater. It is expected that groundwater at these two sites may attain cleanup within 10-years.