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NPL Site Narrative for Yuma Marine Corps Air Station
YUMA MARINE CORPS AIR STATION
Yuma, Arizona
Federal Register Notice: February 21, 1990Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): The Marine Corps Air Station southeast of Yuma, Yuma County, Arizona, covers approximately 3,000 acres on the Yuma Mesa. Since about the mid-1950s, large volumes of waste fuels and solvents from refueling and servicing of airplanes have been disposed of directly onto the ground or into unlined pits. In addition, combustible materials such as fuel oil and organic solvents have been deposited on the ground and burned during fire-training exercises.
The Navy has identified methyl ethyl ketone, trichloroethylene, trichloroethane, and carbon tetrachloride in soils on the station. Soils are permeable and ground water shallow (40 feet), conditions that facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water. Approximately 5,700 people live on the station. Normally they obtain drinking water from the Colorado River via an irrigation canal. During maintenance work on the canal (approximately 1 month each year), drinking water comes from an on-station well. An additional 3,300 base employees use water from this well.
Station Yuma is participating in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), established in 1978. Under the program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contaminants for hazardous materials. As part of IRP, the Navy has installed wells and sampled ground water and soil.
Status (February 21, 1990): In November 1989, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality sampled off-site wells to determine if there is a ground water quality problem downgradient of Station Yuma.
As part of the Site Investigation, the Navy has installed three additional wells on the base perimeter and collected additional soil samples. In early 1990, the Navy plans to begin a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the station and identify alternatives for remedial action.
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.