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U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base 555
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Site photo goes here
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: GA7170023694Location: Albany, Dougherty County, GA
Lat/Long: 31.557210, -084.055000
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 07/14/89; Final: 11/21/89
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil
Cleanup Status: Cleanup activities are underway
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Active Federal Facility
Site Manager: Lila Koroma-Llamas (koroma-llamas.lila@epa.mail)
Site Background
The U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) site is located in Dougherty County, Georgia and is an active military facility covering 3,579 acres. MCLB Albany currently serves as a military logistics center, controlling the acquisition, storage, maintenance, and distribution of combat and support material for the Marine Corps.
The contamination found at the MCLB Albany site is the result of landfill operations from the 1950's through the mid-1980's, spills and leaks from industrial operations and piping, and leaking polychlorinated bi-phenyl (PCB) transformers. The hazardous wastes include electroplating wastes containing heavy metals, organic solvents from stripping and cleaning operations, petroleum products, trichloroethylene, lead, chromium, cadmium, and PCBs. The landfills and spills and leaks from industrial operations and piping have also resulted in contaminated ground water plumes across the site.
The facility overlies a geologic formation, the Ocala Limestone layer, which is divided into an upper and lower zone and serves as an aquifer for southwest Georgia and north and central Florida.
The MCLB property land use and land cover classifications include residential; commercial and services; industrial; transportation, communications, and utilities; industrial complexes; orchards; mixed forestland; and wetlands. Land bordering MCLB Albany to the south, east, and northeast is residential, agricultural, and recreational open space. Most of the land to the northwest and west of the Base is mixed residential and commercial.
Threats and Contaminants
Soil has been contaminated with chromium, cadmium, lead, and PCBs, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Ground water has been contaminated with perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene (TCE), dichloroethylene, and carbon tetrachloride.
Site Cleanup Plan
Due to the size and complexity of the site, EPA identified seven operable units (OUs) that encompass 26 Potential Sources of Contamination (PSCs) at the Base:OU-1 (East Disposal Area, Rubble Disposal Area, Long-Term Landfill); OU-2 (Area Behind Small Bore & Pistol Range); OU-3 (Building 1700 PCB Area, DMA Chrome Area); OU-4 (Industrial Discharge Drainage Area, Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant); OU-5 (Grit Disposal Area, Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant) and OU-6 (site-wide ground water contamination)
The Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1997. Cleanup activities for OU-1 covered four PSCs and included:
- No Action in the East Disposal Area (PSC 1) and the Rubble Disposal Area (PSC 2).
- Land Use Controls, soil removal, and interim measures for ground water containment for the Long Term Landfill (PSC 3).
- Land Use Controls for the Containment Berm Area (PSC 26).
The ROD for OU-2 was issued in 1996. This was a No Action ROD for the Area Behind Small Bore & Pistol Range (PSC 11).
The ROD for OU-3 was issued in 1997. Major cleanup elements covered two PSCs and included:
- Soil removal and Land Use Controls in the Building 1700 PCB Area (PSC 16).
- Soil removal in the Depot Maintenance Activity (DMA) chrome area (PSC 17).
The ROD for OU-4 was issued in 1999. Major cleanup elements included:
- No Action in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant area (PSC 12), the treatment plant pipeline (PSC 13), and the DMA storage area (PSC 22).
- Land Use Controls in the Industrial Discharge Drainage Area (PSC 6).
The ROD for OU-5 was issued in 1997. Major cleanup elements included:
- Soil removal for the Grit Disposal Area (PSC 8).
- No action for the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant area (PSC 14).
The ROD for OU-6 was issued in 2001. Major cleanup elements for OU-6 covered three areas of ground water contamination (plumes) - the Northern Plume Area (PSCs 1, 3, 26), the Depot Maintenance Activity (DMA) Area (PSCs 10, 12, 13, 22), and the Warehouse Disposal Area (PSC 4). Cleanup activities included:
- Northern Plume Area - Installation of an Evapotranspiration (ET) Cover for source control, enhanced bioremediation for contaminated ground water in the Upper Water Bearing Zone, and Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) in the Lower Water Bearing Zone.
- DMA Area - Maintain concrete cover as a cap and enhanced bioremediation for contaminated ground water in the Upper Water Bearing Zone, and MNA in the Lower Water Bearing Zone.
- PSC 4 Area - 12-inch-thick soil cover, MNA for Upper and Lower Water Bearing Zones, and Land Use Controls.
In 2005, an Explanation of Significant Difference (ESD) was signed for OU-6 that:
- Eliminated the ET Cover for PSCs 1 and 26.
- Changed enhanced bioremediation to abiotic treatments using zero-valent iron (ZVI) and sodium permanganate.
- Eliminated maintaining the concrete cap in the DMA area.
Cleanup Progress
Clean-up activities required by RODs for OUs 1 – 5 have been completed. A variety of smaller scale cleanup actions, or removals were conducted to remove isolated contamination of soil and groundwater in OU-1 and OU-4 from 1995 to 2000.
In addition to these Superfund cleanup activities, various actions have been taken under RCRA cleanup authority, including excavation and removal of the sludge drying beds at the MCLB Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Cleanup activities required by the OU-6 ROD and ESD are underway. The majority of physical work was completed by May of 2006 and monitoring for OU-6 continues.
Installation of the ET Cover for PSC 3 was started in 2006 and continues. ET cover systems use vegetated soil layers to retain water until it is either transpired through vegetation or evaporated from the soil surface.
The Land Use Control remedies selected for OUs 1, 3, 4, and 6 remain in place and effective at preventing unacceptable levels of exposure to contaminants remaining on-site.
Two Five-Year Reviews (FYRs) have been finalized for the site - 2001 and 2006. The 2006 FYR found that OUs 1 through 5 were operating as intended and that the cleanup approach for OU-6, once completed, would allow the cleanup approach to be protective of human health and the environment.Enforcement Activities
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the MCLB site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
The base has a community relations plan that was being updated in 2006.
Future Work
Cleanup activities for OU-6 will continue.
The next FYR will be conducted in 2011.Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Dougherty County Public Library
300 Pine Avenue
Albany, Georgia 31701
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.