[CPEO-IRF] Reserve Center to be built at Moffett Miiltary Housing site (CA)

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

I'm not sure what the first paragraph in the article below is referring 
to, but the local news is accurate. Orion Park contained the older 
"enlisted men's" family housing for the Moffett Naval Air Station. After 
the BRAC '91 round, which closed the Naval Air Station, the Navy turned 
over Orion Park and other housing areas to the Air Force.  BRAC '95 told 
the Air Force to close the housing, so the Army took control.

A few year ago, NASA discovered a previously unknown groundwater plume 
of volatile organic compounds migrating from Orion Park onto NASA's 
adjacent property. Further investigation confirmed significant 
contamination, but it is not yet clear who is responsible for the 
pollution. For now, U.S. EPA considers the Navy the responsible party, 
because it recognizes "Superfund" listing as fenceline to fenceline. The 
Navy disagrees, and it has been unwilling to process the site through 
the normal CERCLA process.

Meanwhile, the Navy, NASA, and "MEW" companies draw conflicting plume 
maps from the same data, and EPA has been conducting a small amount of 
sampling upgradient to help determine who is responsible for the 
contamination. (MEW is an abbreviation for three local streets that 
general bound a major Superfund Study Area where the responsible parties 
are all electronics companies.)

When the contamination was discovered, RAB members insisted that the 
Navy investigate possible vapor intrusion in Orion Park, where most of 
the units were occupied by military families and (later) other federal 
workers. Though the Navy detected volatile organic contaminants in 
indoor air, it repeatedly argued that vapor intrusion was not responsible.

Finally, EPA's real-time sampling in 2005, using the Trace Atmospheric 
Gas Analyzer, provided convincing evidence of vapor intrusion. Still, 
despite the ongoing exposure of military families, no one stepped up to 
the plate to conduct even a remedial investigation/feasibility study. 
(There is continuing sampling and data analysis, however.)

The Army had originally proposed to redevelop all Moffett Military 
Housing with a private partner through the Residential Communities 
Initiative. However, that deal ended up excluding Orion Park because of 
the contamination.

It was still a surprise, however, when the Army proposed and the BRAC 
Commission agreed to tear down the housing to make way for an Army 
Reserve Center. This will eliminate the vapor intrusion pathway at the 
site, but it will also eliminate housing in an area that needs it 
desperately.

Finally, the cleanup of Orion Park is unresolved. NASA insists that the 
flow of contaminants onto its property be halted. The Navy is asking the 
current owner, the Army, to take over, but the Army has no obligation to 
do so.

Rest assured that the local community will continue to fight for full 
remediation, not matter who ends up paying for it.

Lenny

***



Army holds on plan for training facility
Questions remain about Orion Park cleanup

By Jon Wiener
Mountain View Voice (CA)
January 20, 2006


Tuesday's announcement that the Pentagon will delay the coming round of 
base closures for a year means the Army will have to wait to build a 
huge new training center at Moffett Field.

An Army colonel came to Mountain View last week to praise plans to knock 
down military housing at Orion Park to make way for a Combat Support 
Training Center for the entire West Coast. Col. Scott Wood told members 
of the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) that the project would bring 
money and jobs to the community, in a brief presentation he gave in 
response to requests from RAB members.

...

While Wood touted the benefits of the new construction, most of the 
assembled residents at last week's meeting were more interested in what 
it meant for the cleanup of a toxic chemical solvent that has turned up 
in Orion Park's groundwater.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2006/2006_01_20.3rab.shtml

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
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