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NPL Site Narrative for Edwards Air Force Base
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
Kern County, California
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (July 14, 1989): Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) is in Kern, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties, California, occupying approximately 800 square miles in the western portion of the Mojave Desert. The base has been in operation since 1933. Its primary mission is to conduct research and development on new aircraft.
EAFB 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 identified 21 waste areas at the facility.
The Main/South Base area, at the western edge of Rogers Dry Lake, is the primary area for maintenance and refueling of aircraft. On several occasions, large amounts of fuel have been spilled in the area, and poor disposal practices have released organic solvents to the ground. Also in the area are an abandoned sanitary landfill containing pesticides and heavy metals, an area where electroplating wastes were dumped, and the industrial waste pond, which contains sediments rich in heavy metals.
Trichloroethylene, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, and methylene chloride are present in ground water underlying the Main/South Base area, according to a 1987 IRP report. EAFB's 13,800 employees obtain drinking water from wells within 3 miles of the Main/South Base area.
There is no perennial surface water at EAFB.
The Air Force has completed an initial assessment of the base and is now conducting a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination and identify alternatives for remedial action.
Status (August 30, 1990): The Air Force is reviewing previous studies to determine any additional data needed to fully characterize known waste areas.
EPA, the State, and the Air Force are negotiating an Interagency Agreement under CERCLA Section 120 covering response activities at the base.
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.