![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
NPL Site Narrative for Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base
CAMP PENDLETON MARINE CORPS BASE
San Diego County, California
Federal Register Notice: November 21, 1989Conditions at proposal (July 14, 1989): The Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base encompasses approximately 125,000 acres in San Diego County, California. The installation is bordered by the City of San Clemente to the north, the City of Oceanside to the south, and the City of Fallbrook to the east. The base has served as a training base since its establishment in 1941. Industrial and other support operations have generated hazardous wastes, including waste oils, contaminated fuels and other petroleum products, cleaning solvents, and pesticide rinsate.
Camp Pendleton is participating in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), established in 1978. Under this program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination from hazardous materials. As part of IRP studies, the Navy identified a number of potentially contaminated areas, including eight areas where wastes containing DDT, heptachlor, 2,4-T, lindane, zinc, lead, trichloroethylene, methyl ethyl ketone, benzene, and xylene had been deposited.
Ground water is shallow, averaging 7-14 feet deep, and soils are permeable, conditions that facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water. The 40,000 people living and working on the base obtain drinking water from wells within 3 miles of hazardous substances on the base. The nearest well is within 1,320 feet of one of the disposal areas. To date, no contaminants have been detected in the camp's water supply.
San Margarita River, Las Flores Creek, and San Mateo Creek empty into coastal wetlands within 2 miles of Camp Pendleton. Surface waters within 3 miles downstream are used for recreational activities. Critical habitats for three birds designated as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are within 1 mile of the camp.
The Marine Corps has completed a site inspection and is about to start planning for a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the base and identify alternatives for remedial action.
Status (November 21, 1989): The RI/FS is underway.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.