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Chanute Air Force Base, IL

EPA RPM: OwenThompson (312) 886-4843, thompson.owen@epa.gov

State RPM: Chris Hill (217) 782-9292 Christopher.hill@epa.state.il.us
DOD BEC: Tim Brecheen (217) 892-3244, x22 Tim.Brecheen@afrpa.pentagon.af.mil

see also: OSWER's page for this site

 

Significant Issues- (APRIL-JUNE 2003):

  • Congressional: None at this time

  • High profile items: High Profile Items. On April 7, 2003, The AFRPA, Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA signed a Consensus Statement which identified an overall project schedule, and short-term (six month) milestones toward achieving cleanup progress. The milestones approved in the Consensus Statement form the baseline for reporting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

  • Delays in Environmental Restoration Activities.

  • Since the Consensus Agreement was signed, several issues have arisen which could adversely delay cleanup progress:
    FY ‘04 Funding Shortfalls - AFRPA held its quarterly update meeting in Alexandria VA in mid-June. At the meeting, internal funding plans were developed for all AFRPA BRAC projects. Based on preliminary discussions, it appears that Chanute will fall approximately ten million dollars short of the funding it needs to meet the cleanup milestones presented in the Consensus Statement Project Schedule. Some options being considered by AFPRA to deal with the funding shortfalls are to eliminate O&M on Landfills 1&3, postpone UST site closures, and postpone water management at the Fire Training Area 2 excavations.

    Perchlorate - AFRPA has removed all sampling plans for perchlorate sampling from the OU-2 Work Plan per current AF policy. Regulators will consider the RI incomplete if perchlorate sampling is not done.

    TCE Risk Assessment     - Disagreement between U.S. EPA and the Air Force over the toxicity of TCE, which is a risk driver at many of the Chanute sites, may result in significant delays if the Air Force refuses to use the new information in the human health risk assessment.

    Water Towers LBP Sampling     - AFRPA has eliminated the sampling for lead-based paint beneath the water towers from the OU-1 RI Work Plan. The regulators will consider the study incomplete without this information, and unnecessary delays could result.

    Data Rejection Criteria     - Prior to signing the Consensus Statement, AFCEE seemed to be getting clear direction from AFRPA to make the Chanute QAPP consistent with Region 5 models and guidance, in order to expedite approval. Since then however, a fundamental policy disagreement has developed over what criteria and procedures should be used for determining how data are rejected for use in a human heath risk assessment.

    PCB Studies     - Due to the type of training that was done at Chanute, it was a huge consumer of electricity, and had dozens of PCB-containing transformers distributed throughout the base. AFRPA had PCB sampling programmed as a separate work effort from the RI, and is now considering postponing the work due to funding shortfalls. U.S. EPA has not objected to the separate study per se, but will not consider the RI to be complete until the nature and extent of PCB contamination has been determined.

Issues Impacting Reuse/Transfer:

     
    FOST
    FOLSL
    FOSET-CDR
    OPS
    Completed to Date in FY
    0
    (Source: CERCLIS)
    0
    (Source: CERCLIS)
    0
    (Source: CERCLIS)

    0
    (Source: CERCLIS)

    AFRPA has suggested that the BCT consider options for transfer of additional airport properties where RI work has been planned. Discussions are continuing. A new FOST in FY ‘03 is possible, but more likely in FY ‘04.

Major BCT achievements or successes:

  • Technology Optimization, Partnering, Property Transfer:
    1. Achievements. In May the BCT approved an alternative method for shipping and handling VOC samples that should save AFCEE over $15,000 during the upcoming background sampling project. Under this procedure, samples will be kept on ice, and withing 48 hours must be shipped to the lab and frozen. Overall hold times can then be extended up to two weeks.
    2. Issues. None at this time
  • Community Activities.
    1. Achievements. None at this time.
    2. Issues. None at this time.

  • Any relevant installation issue not covered elsewhere: None at this time.

Staffing/Funding Issues:

  • The BCT has approved a great deal of field work that can be started on and interim basis, such as installation of monitoring wells. As a result, a large field effort began in mid-June by the AFRPA's contractor URS, Inc., with two full-time drilling crews. In addition, Parson, Inc. began work in early June on the Landfill 3 completion. That work will gear up considerably after the new cover soil borrow source is approved.



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