Jump to main content.

Robins Air Force Base

National Information

Photos/Multimedia

Entrance to LF04 on Robins AFB
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video

Additional Resources
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: GA1570024330
Location: Warner Robins, Houston County, GA
Lat/Long: 32.619980, -083.582070
Congressional District: 08
NPL Status: Proposed: 10/15/84; Final: 07/22/87
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Sludge, Soil, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Active facility
Site Manager: Dann Spariosu (spariosu.dann@epa.mail)


Site Background

The Robins Air Force Base (AFB) property encompasses an area of approximately 8,800 acres and is approximately 18 miles south of Macon, Georgia. As an Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) bases, Robins AFB performs Programmed Depot Maintenance and other support activities on a variety of aircraft. Robins AFB contains over 14 million square feet of operational facilities and supports 1,400 housing units.

The NPL site covers 45 acres and is located centrally within the Base boundaries. Over the years, Robins AFB has generated various types of solid wastes including hazardous waste. Landfill Number 4 (LF04), an on-site landfill, was used between 1966 and 1978 for the disposal of these various solid and industrial wastes. Waste Pit 14 (the sludge lagoon that is part of the LFO4 area), was a 1.5-acre unlined lagoon, used from 1962 to 1978 for the disposal of industrial waste treatment plant sludge (including electroplating sludge) and other miscellaneous industrial wastes, such as solvents and oils. Electroplating sludge that was disposed of in the lagoon contained heavy metals and cyanide.

LF04 and the Sludge Lagoon were both closed and covered with clean fill in 1978.

The base is bounded on the west by the City of Warner Robins, on the north by a housing subdivision, on the south by unincorporated Bonaire, and on the east by the Ocmulgee River and its floodplain.

Top of page

Threats and Contaminants

Ground water, soils, sediment, and sludge are contaminated with metals and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), primarily trichloroethylene (TCE).

Top of page

Site Cleanup Plan

Due to the size and complexity of the site, EPA identified three operable units (OUs): OU-1 (LF04 and the sludge lagoon); OU-2 (neighboring wetlands and surface waters impacted by the sludge lagoon); and OU-3 (ground water).

The Interim Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1991. Major components of the cleanup approach included:

The ROD for OU-2 was issued in 1994. Major components of the cleanup approach included:

The Interim ROD for OU-3 was issued in 1995. The cleanup approach for OU-3 included removal of ground water beneath LFO4; treatment of the ground water to meet discharge standards for the Ocmulgee River; and discharge of the treated water to the Ocmulgee River under a revised National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

A Final ROD for OU-1 and OU-3 was approved by EPA in September 2004. The Final ROD continued the remedies from the two interim RODs, and added in maintenance of the landfill cap and Land Use and institutional controls to limit site use and activity. The Land Use Controls include access and dig restrictions to protect the landfill and sludge basin caps and ground water use restrictions.

Top of page

Cleanup Progress

Cleanup activities for OU-1 began in December 1991 and were completed by September 1998.  Cleanup activities included: construction for run-on controls and leachate collection; soil vapor extraction for the sludge lagoon; and installation of an impermeable cap was completed for LF04  and the Sludge Lagoon.

Routine Operation and Maintenance activities at OU-1 have included: monthly inspections of the landfill cap, gas vents, and surface water drainage system; periodic inspections of the pumping stations; daily inspections of all ground water treatment plant equipment; biannual sampling of the ground water monitoring wells; and quarterly sampling of OU-3 surface water and sediments.

Cleanup activities for OU-2 began in August 1994 and were completed in March 1999.

In 1997, a pump-and-treat system installed at the landfill to restore the ground water of OU-3.  This system has operated continuously from 1997 through present-day.

In 2002, OU-2 was transferred to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's RCRA Corrective Action Program following the determination that the other OUs had not contributed to the wetlands contamination.

Two Five Year Reviews (FYRs) have been completed for the site, in 2001 and 2006. The 2006 FYR found that overall, cleanup activities at the site are protective of human health and the environment.

The Department of Defense is leading site cleanup activities with oversight by EPA.

Top of page

Enforcement Activities

Top of page

Community Involvement

EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Robins AFB 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, fact sheets, and a Community Relations Plan which was developed in 2005. The site also has an Environmental Advisory Board that is involved in the review of cleanup-related documents.

Top of page

Future Work

The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2011.

Top of page

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.

Nola Brantley Memorial Library
(also known as Houston County Libraries-Warner
Robins Houston County Library)
721 Watson Boulevard
Warner Robins, Georgia 31093

For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.

Top of page

For information about the contents of this page please contact Carolyn Haugabook.

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.