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NPL Site Narrative for Mountain Home Air Force Base
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE
Mountain Home, Idaho
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (July 14, 1989): Mountain Home Air Force Base covers approximately 9 square miles on a plateau in Elmore County southwest of Mountain Home, Idaho. The area around the base is primarily agricultural. The base, established in 1943, has been under the control of the Tactical Air Command since 1965.
Mountain Home Air Force Base is participating in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), established in 1978. Under this program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination from hazardous materials. Under IRP, the Air Force has investigated numerous potentially contaminated areas, including two abandoned landfills, a waste oil disposal area, four abandoned and one active fire training areas, and the entomology shop yard, where pesticides were rinsed from application equipment. Wastes disposed of at these locations include solvents and pesticides.
EPA tests conducted in October 1987 found elevated levels of tribromomethane (bromoform) in several on-site wells serving the base. Bromoform is a component of fire extinguishing agents and is also used as a solvent. Over 14,000 people obtain drinking water and land is irrigated from wells within 3 miles of hazardous substances on the base.
The Air Force has conducted a study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the base and identify alternatives for remedial action. EPA reviewed the study and found it unacceptable as it had not included the units for which the base had been listed.
Status (August 30, 1990): EPA will be entering into negotiations with the Air Force and the State of Idaho to adopt an Interagency Agreement (IAG) under CERCLA Section 120. The IAG will specify units to be covered in the workplan for a remedial investigation/feasibility study.
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.