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NPL Site Narrative for Fort George G. Meade
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE
Odenton, Maryland
Federal Register Notice: July 28, 1998Conditions at Proposal (April 1997): Fort George G. Meade (FGGM) is located in the northwestern corner of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, midway between Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The boundaries of the facility include the Baltimore-Washington parkway to the northwest, the Little Patuxent River and AMTRAK railroad tracks to the southeast, residential areas and the Patuxent River to the southwest, and State Route 175 to the northeast.
FGGM's current mission is to provide a wide range of support to 114 tenant organizations from all four services and to several Federal agencies. Major tenant units include the National Security Agency, the Defense Information School and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. The population of FGGM includes approximately 8,000 military personnel, 25,000 civilian employees, and 5,700 family members of military personnel.
Four sources of potential contamination were evaluated: the Defense Property Disposal Office (DPDO) [now Defense Reutilization Marketing Office (DRMO)] salvage yard (Source 5), the Active Sanitary Landfill (ASL) (Source 6), the inactive Clean Fill Dump (CFD) (Source 7), and the Post Laundry Facility (PLF) (Source 10). The DPDO was previously used as a storage area for a wide range of materials including discarded vehicles, electrical transformers, electrical equipment and scrap metal, as well as a drum disposal area. Construction of a covered storage facility has been completed at the DPDO to facilitate recycling of surplus U.S. Government property. Solid wastes were previously disposed at the ASL under a Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Solid Waste Division permit. In November 1995, MDE issued a Disposal Permit that allowed continued operation of the ASL until November 2000. However, since the issuance of this permit, FGGM has decided to cease solid waste disposal operations and the ASL was closed in January 1996. The CFD operated from 1972 until 1985 and was used for the disposal of miscellaneous objects such as timber, concrete, old appliances, fill, garbage, ash and, possibly, hazardous wastes. The PLF has been in operation since 1941. From 1941 until late 1991, the PLF operated mainly as a laundry with dry cleaning operations introduced in the late 1960s. In 1991, laundry and dry cleaning operations were discontinued and the PLF was converted into a recycling center. FGGM continues to perform environmental investigations at these and other source areas in consultation with Federal and state regulators.
Wastes stored at and disposed of in the source areas were generated from operations at the FGGM facility. The wastes include municipal and domestic wastes, pesticides, electrical transformers, solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), inert material, and waste petroleum, oil, and lubricant products. Hazardous substances detected in the source areas include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), metals, pesticides, and PCBs.
A release from the sources to the Upper and Lower Patapsco aquifers of VOCs, SVOCs, and pesticides has been documented. A release to the Patuxent River watershed of PCBs, VOCs, and pesticides from the sources has also been documented. The Patuxent River and its tributaries include wetlands, fisheries, and habitats for endangered species.
Status (July 1998): EPA is considering various alternatives for the site.
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.