News Release
September 7, 2005

Public Hearing Scheduled for Camp Edwards Groundwater Cleanup Plan

Camp Edwards, Mass. — A public hearing to accept formal comments on the Remedy Selection Plan for the Demolition Area 1 Groundwater Plume will be held Tuesday, September 13, at the Bourne Best Western Hotel, 100 Trowbridge Road, Bourne, beginning at 6 p.m. with an informal information session.

The Remedy Selection Plan provides a summary of all cleanup alternatives considered in the Feasibility Study and gives a rational for the selection of the proposed remedy for full-scale treatment of groundwater contamination from Demolition Area 1. The plume, which remains on base, contains the contaminants RDX, an explosives chemical, and perchlorate, a water soluble salt used as an oxidizer. It is migrating west from the former munitions disposal and demolition training area located approximately two miles northeast of the Otis Rotary.

The Remedy Selection Plan presents Enhanced Alternative 5 as the proposed remedy for Demolition Area 1 groundwater cleanup. This alternative consists of a 906-gallon-per-minute, pump-and-treat system with a total of five extraction wells and four injection wells. A new building will be constructed on base to house the containers of granular activated carbon and ion exchange resin used to remove contamination from the groundwater. Enhanced Alternative 5 also incorporates a contingency for an additional extraction well and treatment system to be added if necessary. The proposed remedy, which will build on the current groundwater treatment system that began operations last September and is treating close to a half million gallons a day, is expected to restore the aquifer to levels protective of human health in approximately 11 years.

The information session will provide the opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives from the Impact Area Groundwater Study Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to discuss the proposed cleanup.

A presentation on Demolition Area 1 and the Remedy Selection Plan will begin at 6:30 p.m. The public hearing to allow members of the public to enter comments on the plan into the official record will begin immediately following the presentation.

Comments also can be submitted through the Web site: groundwaterprogram.army.mil; by mail to the Impact Area Groundwater Study Program at PB0515 West Outer Road, Camp Edwards, MA 02542; by fax to 508-968-5286, or by email to kristina.curley@ma.ngb.army.mil.

The Remedy Selection Plan, Feasibility Study and information on how to submit comments will be available online at the Groundwater Study Program Web site and at the public libraries in Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich.

Responses to comments on the Remedy Selection Plan will be provided to the public with the Demolition Area 1 Decision Document, which is expected this fall. The public hearing is part of a public comment period on the plan that runs through September 19, 2005.

For further information on Groundwater Study Program activities, log on to groundwaterprogram.army.mil.

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For more information, contact:
Kristina Curley, Groundwater Study Program, (508) 968-5626
Jim Murhpy, EPA New England Region 1, (617) 918-1028
Ellie Grillo, MADEP Community Involvement Coordinator, (508) 946-2866