EPA PROPOSES TO LIST ALAMEDA NAS AS SUPERFUND SITE

[Tony Chenhansa <tonyc@cpeo.org>]

For Immediate Release: May 10, 1999
EPA PROPOSES TO LIST ALAMEDA NAS AS SUPERFUND SITE

 SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially
proposed listing the former Alameda Naval Air Station as a federal
Superfund site today, a decision, if approved, that could help bolster
the installation's cleanup and environmentally safe reuse.

"Listing the Alameda Naval Air Station as a Superfund site will serve as
a  positive step toward remediating contaminated sites and turning the
property over for reuse," said Keith Takata, director of the EPA's
regional Superfund program.  "At  federal facilities with the magnitude
of concerns like those at Alameda NAS, we believe Superfund listing
provides a framework for effective cleanup process in partnership with
the EPA, the Navy and the state."

 The EPA has been working with the California Department of Toxic
Substances Control and the Navy without any formal cleanup agreement
since 1993 to study the nature and extent of contamination on the
2,600-acre installation.  Listing the station as a federal Superfund
site will provide a framework of enforceable schedules, penalty
authorities that enhance accountability for the cleanup, and an ultimate
decision maker for disputes that arise in the cleanup process.

 Groundwater and soil at various parts of the installation is
contaminated with a variety of compounds, including solvents,
pesticides, chromium and cyanide wastes, and PCBs. Although a
considerable amount of soil and groundwater data have been collected
basewide,  Alameda NAS has yet to complete any full cleanup plans. The
primary actions taken to date resulted in the excavation of lead and
PCB-tainted soils in two areas on the site, removal of sediment from
storm drains, and an ongoing removal of soil and drain pipes with
radiological contamination.

The EPA is currently holding a public comment period on the proposed
listing
that will run through July 9, 1999.  Comments can be sent to:

Carolyn J. Douglas
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (SFD-5)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105

http://epainotes1.rtpnc.epa.gov:7777/r9/r9press.nsf/news


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Tony Chenhansa,  Program Coordinator
Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO)
425 Market Street 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA  94105
ph: 415-405-7751 fx: 415-904-7765
e-mail: tonyc@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

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