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Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station

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Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: NC1170027261
Location: Havelock, Craven County, NC
Lat/Long: 34.900000, -076.891700
Congressional District: 03
NPL Status: Proposed: 08/23/94; Final: 12/16/94
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil, Subsurface Soil, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Physical cleanup activities are underway
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Active Facility
Site Manager: Gena Townsend (townsend.gena@epa.gov)


Site Background

Commissioned in 1942 as Cunningham Field, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point is located in southeastern Craven County, North Carolina. The installation covers approximately 13,164 acres on a peninsula north of the Core and Bogue Sounds and south of the Neuse River. The Air Station's primary mission is to maintain and operate support facilities and services to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Naval Aviation Depot, and Naval Hospital.

Environmental impacts at the site stem from past waste disposal and storage practices of industrial chemicals, waste, and fuels. These past practices at MCAS Cherry Point have resulted in several contaminated ground water plumes and soil contamination from numerous smaller waste disposal units.

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Threats and Contaminants

Soil, sediment, ground water, and surface water have been contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and metals have been detected in both surface and subsurface soil.

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Site Cleanup Plan

Due to the size and complexity of the site, 13 operable units (OUs) have been identified at MCAS Cherry Point. These OUs typically refer to various portions of the site. OU-2, for example, refers to four different sites located at MCAS Cherry Point - Site 10 (Old Sanitary Landfill and the primary component of OU-2); Site 44A (Former Sludge Application Area): Site 46 (Polishing Ponds No. 1 and No. 2); and Site 76 (Vehicle Maintenance Area).

Records of Decision (RODs) describing the cleanup approaches selected for the various portions of the site have been issued for 8 OUs at the site. The most recent ROD, for OU-6, was issued in 2006. Major cleanup elements for OU-6 included:

Details for cleanup approaches at other site OUs are available online.

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Cleanup Progress

MCAS has taken numerous actions to clean up and control the areas of contamination.

OU-1:
MCAS completed a focused Remedial Investigation /Feasibility Study for OU-1 ground water in 1996. Since then, MCAS has implemented several interim cleanup measures, including ground water extraction, an air sparge/vapor extraction at Site 16 (a disposal site that contains petroleum products) and design of an enhanced bioremediation pilot test for a chlorinated solvent plume at Building 137/Stripper Barn hot spot.

A full-scale OU-1 Remedial Investigation report was submitted to EPA in November 2001. In February 2002, a treatability study for OU-1 began to evaluate treatment options, and an enhanced bioremediation using the injection of Hydrogen Release Compound. The results of this showed that total VOCs were reduced by 90%, but individual constituents remain at concentrations that exceed regulatory screening. The Feasibility Study has been rescheduled for submittal in 2009.

OU-2:
A soil vapor extraction (SVE) system was in stalled in 1998 to clean up volatile organic contamination hotspots found in the soil. The SVE treatment was discontinued in August 2003 because the system had reached its cleanup goals at three of the four hotspots and was no longer removing significant contaminant mass at the fourth location.

Monitoring activities at OU-2 have consisted of the collection of ground water and surface water and sediment from both Turkey Gut and Slocum Creek.

LUCs have been put in place to restrict site use to only industrial uses, to prohibit intrusive activities below the water table, to prohibit ground water use, and fencing and warning signs were installed to control site access.

OU-3:
An air sparging system was installed in 2000 at Site 7 in OU-3 (old incinerator area). Based on monitoring results, it was determined that the system had effectively remediated the soil hotspots and the system was shut down in mid-2003 and removed in 2007.

Monitoring of ground water began in 2002, and has been undertaken quarterly since 2007.

OU-4:
The cleanup approach for OU-4 was monitored natural attenuation (MNA) of ground water and LUCs. MNA has been undertaken on a semi-annual basis since May 2006.

LUC objectives prohibit the withdrawal and/or future use of ground water, except for monitoring, from the surficial aquifer within the entire OU-4 area. The Navy has included the LUCs in its master planning process and updated the Station's environmental GIS.

OU-5:
The cleanup approach for OU-5 was MNA of ground water and LUCs.

Semi-annual ground water monitoring began in May 2006. In 2007, sampling frequency was changed to quarterly monitoring.

LUC objectives prohibit ground water use, except for monitoring. The Navy has included the LUCs in its master planning process and updated the Station's environmental GIS.

OU-6:
Cleanup for OU-6 addressed a tar-like layer identified in the subsurface soils as a potential source of ground water contamination. The subsurface contamination was excavated from beneath the former location of Burn Pit E in between February and May 2007.

Ground water monitoring has been undertaken quarterly since June 2007 to assess the effectiveness of MNA.

LUCs are intended to prohibit ground water withdrawal (except for monitoring) and to protect monitoring wells in the OU-6 area.

OU-13:
The cleanup approach for OU-13 was MNA of ground water and LUCs.

Semi-annual ground water monitoring began in May 2006. MNA has shown that the overall VOC concentrations in the ground water have decreased.

LUC objectives for OU-13 prohibit ground water use, except for monitoring. The Navy has included the LUCs in its master planning process and updated the Station's environmental GIS.

Two Five-Year Reviews (FYRs) has been developed for the site - 2002 and 2008. The 2008 FYR focused on OUs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 13 and found that the remedies for these OUs are protective in the short term, but that additional cleanup activities are still needed for OU-1 and OU-2 to ensure long-term protectiveness.

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Enforcement Activities

A Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) was signed in January 2008. FFAs ensure that the environmental impacts associated with past and present activities at the site are thoroughly investigated and appropriate cleanup and corrective actions are developed and implemented. They also establish schedules and priorities and enforceable milestones for cleanup activities at federal sites.

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Community Involvement

EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the MCAS Cherry Point 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.

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Future Work

A revised Feasibility Study for OU-1 is ongoing, and expected to be completed in 2009.

Final Close Out of OU-4 and OU-13 is expected in 2011.

The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2013.

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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.

Administrative Record Index

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

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

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