Naval Air Station Whiting Field

• Site Profile
• Additional Site Documents including Five Year Reviews, Records of Decisions (ROD) and Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD).
• For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office (http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/submit.htm).

Site Background:
NAS Whiting Field is located in Santa Rosa County, approximately 5.5 miles north of Milton and 25 miles northeast of Pensacola, Florida. The facility is approximately 3,842 acres in size and consists of two air fields separated by an industrial area. NAS Whiting Field's mission is to train student naval aviators in the use of basic instruments, formation and tactical phases of fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft, and basic and advanced helicopter training. Past waste handling practices at NAS Whiting Field have resulted in contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum constituents and spent solvents. NAS Whiting Field was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1994, as a result of trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in groundwater which affected the installation’s drinking water supply. Due to the placement of NAS Whiting Field on the NPL, EPA, the State of Florida, and the Navy are currently involved in discussions which will lead to the signing of a Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) that will lay out the procedural framework for conducting response actions at the facility.
Cleanup Progress: Studies Underway
Twenty-seven (27) operable units (OU) have been identified at NAS Whiting Field.  Remedial investigations have been completed on all but two OUs. The remedial investigations for the final two OUs are scheduled to be completed in 2009 and 2010, respectively.  Feasibility studies have been completed for 24 of the 27 OUs. Removal actions were completed at five (5) OUs during 1999 and at six (6) additional OUs during 2001 in order to address contamination concerns. In addition, Records of Decision (RODs) were approved in 1999 for OU1-Site 1 and OU2–Site 2 to address arsenic contamination in surface soils. The RODs for these OUs restrict land use to non-residential uses.  EPA, FDEP, and the Navy signed a Land Use Control Assurance Plan (LUCAP) Memorandum of Agreement on November 4, 1999, to insure the effectiveness and reliability of the required land use controls in order for the remedial action to remain protective of human health and the environment.  A No Action ROD was approved for OU 19 - Site 31 surface and subsurface soils in September 2002.  Five additional RODs were approved in September 2004.  The RODs for OU3 – Site 3 and OU6 – Site 6 documented a No Action (NA) and No Further Action (NFA) remedy for surface and subsurface soils, respectively.  The RODs for OU18 – Site 30, OU20 – Site 32 and OU21 – Site 33 documented a land use control (LUC) remedy for surface and subsurface soils at each OU which restricts land use to non-residential uses and prohibits disturbing the concrete/asphalt cover at each OU.  In September 2005, an additional five (5) RODs were approved for OU5 – Site 5, OU8 – Site 9, OU11 – Site 12, OU23 – Site 38 and OU26 – Site 29.  Each of the five RODs approved either a NA or NFA remedy for surface and subsurface soils at the respective OUs which allows for unrestricted use and unlimited exposure.   Three RODs were signed in September 2006 for OU12 – Site 13, OU16 – Site 17 and OU17 – Site 18.  Each of the RODs documented a LUC remedy for surface and subsurface soils which restricts land use at each OU to non-residential uses.  In addition, the RODs for OU16 – Site 17 and OU17 – Site 18 also require the existing soil cover be maintained at each OU.   Three additional RODs were signed in October 2006 for OU13 – Site 14, OU14 – Site 15, and OU22 – Site 35.  The ROD for OU13 – Site 14 documented a NA remedy for surface and subsurface soils.  The RODs for OU14 – Site 15 and OU22 – Site 35 documented a LUC remedy for surface and subsurface soils which restricts land use at both OUs to non-residential uses.  Additionally, the ROD for OU22 – Site 35 also stipulates that the existing asphalt/concrete cover must be maintained.  In September 2007, two additional RODs were signed for OU9-Site 10 and OU10-Site 11.  Both RODs document a land use control remedy which restricts land use at both OUs to non-residential uses.  The ROD for OU9-Site 10 also stipulates that the integrity of the existing soil cover must be maintained.