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NPL Site Narrative for Naval Computer & Telecommunications Area
NAVAL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER STATION EASTERN PACIFIC
Oahu, Hawaii
Federal Register Notice: May 31, 1994The Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Eastern Pacific (NCTAMS EASTPAC) site is used for operating and maintaining facilities and equipment for the Navy's Defense Communications System. The NCTAMS EASTPAC site consists of facilities located throughout the Island of Oahu. These include facilities at Wahiawa, Lualualei, Opana, Kokekole Pass, Pearl Harbor, and various satellite telecommunication locations. The Navy's Initial Assessment Study (IAS) identified 14 potential hazardous waste sources at NCTAMS EASTPAC, all located at either Lualualei or Wahiawa. The Lualualei and Wahiawa facilities are approximately 10 miles apart.
The Lualualei facility occupies 1,700 acres in a large coastal valley on the southeastern shore of Oahu. The facility is surrounded by agricultural, urban, and conservation land areas. Eight potential hazardous waste sources were identified at the Lualualei facility during the IAS. The sources include the Old Coral Pit, Antenna 403 Disposal Area, Antenna 441 Disposal Area, Building 65 Disposal Area, Antenna 354 Disposal Area, Two Wells near Building 1, Old NRTF Landfill, and Transformer Locations. All subsequent investigations evaluated the Antenna 354 Disposal Area and Transformer Locations only. Ground water in the area is brackish, and there are no drinking water wells downgradient of the facility. Surface water downstream of the site is not used for drinking water.
The Wahiawa facility occupies 700 acres on the central plateau of Oahu. The northern and eastern borders of the facility lie adjacent to the Ewa Forest Reserve and other conservation land. Adjacent to the southern border of the facility are pineapple fields and conservation land. The town of Whitmore Village borders the facility to the west and the City of Wahiawa lies approximately 1 mile to the southwest.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in soil surrounding electrical transformers within 200 feet of onbase residences at the Wahiawa facility. Approximately 248 people live in these residences. From 1942 until 1977, a 6-ounce sample of fluid from each transformer was tested quarterly to evaluate insulating properties and was then disposed of on the ground. In June 1988 and March and December 1990, soil sampling conducted around the transformers indicated the presence of PCBs. In July 1990, the Navy set a cleanup goal of 10 ppm in excavating PCB-contaminated soil. Soil removal activities began in November 1990 and were completed in February 1991.
In addition, an inactive landfill (Old Wahiawa Landfill) was used for general disposal of all wastes generated at the site from the 1940s until 1973. Although the majority the wastes were municipal solid wastes, waste lube oils, chlorinated and nonchlorinated solvents, transformer oil, hydraulic fluid, paint thinners, trichloroethane, creosote, and mercury were disposed of in the landfill.
The southern edge of the Wahiawa facility drains into the North Fork Kaukonahua Stream, which flows into the Wahiawa Reservoir joining the Kaukonahua Stream which flows westward, converging with the Poamoho Stream. Most of the facility, however, drains north into the Poamoho Stream which converges with the Kaukonahua Stream approximately 7 miles west of the site, at the Kiikii Stream. The Kiikii Stream flows for approximately 1 mile before emptying into Kaiaka Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Surface water within 15 miles downstream of the Wahiawa facility is not used as a source of drinking water. The Wahiawa Public Fishing Area is located approximately 0.5 southwest of the facility on the North Fork Kaukonahua Stream. Additional fisheries located within 15 miles downstream of the facility include Kaiaka Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the area at the confluence of Poamoho and Kaukonahua Streams. There are six Federally-designated endangered/threatened species of birds and five Federally-designated/threatened species of turtles associated with surface water within 15 miles of the Wahiawa facility.
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.