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NPL Site Narrative for Aberdeen Proving Ground(Michaelsville LF
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND - MICHAELSVILLE LANDFILL
Aberdeen, Maryland
Federal Register Notice: October 4, 1989Conditions at proposal (April 10, 1985): The Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) occupies some 79,000 acres of land and water in southern Harford County and southeastern Baltimore County, Maryland, near the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is an active Army test and evaluation installation primarily responsible for planning and testing of weapons, munitions, vehicles, and various equipment. The Aberdeen Area (17,000 land acres) is bordered on the west by the Bush River and northeast to south by the Chesapeake Bay. The area is drained by seven creeks plus the Bush River. Most of these creeks have their headwaters on the Aberdeen Area. The area contains firing ranges, impact areas, vehicle test racks, and laboratories in support of the testing activities.
The location of concern on the Aberdeen Area is the 20-acre Michaelsville Landfill. The Army has detected lead, mercury, chromium, benzene, and cadmium in ground water on the landfill. Other potentially hazardous portions of the Aberdeen Area are currently being evaluated.
APG 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. The Army has performed an environmental contamination survey and assessment of the Aberdeen Area and is monitoring ground water and surface water in the areas of suspected contamination. APG is cooperating with the Maryland Department of Hygiene and Mental Health to determine the extent of the Aberdeen Area contamination.
The facility acquired Interim Status under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) when the Army filed Part A of a permit application.
Status (October 4, 1989): The State has issued the Army a RCRA Corrective Action permit for APG. The permit calls for a hydrogeological assessment of the Michaelsville Landfill.
EPA, Maryland, and the Army are negotiating a CERCLA Section 120 Interagency Agreement to coordinate and provide oversight of all CERCLA and RCRA corrective action activities at APG.
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.