Navy to Clean Up Oahu Superfund Sites
The U.S. Department of the Navy has signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Hawaii’s Department of Health to address cleanup at Navy-owned property at Wahiawa and Lualualei on Oahu, according to an April 2 press release.
Under the terms of the Federal Facility Agreement, the Navy will work with EPA and the state to address any remaining issues at the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific in Central Oahu and the Navy Radio Transmitter Facility at Lualualei near the Navy Munitions Command base in Leeward Oahu.
Preliminary investigations indicated that no immediate threats currently exist at the sites while further investigations continue. The sites are primarily land disposal and landfill areas that are no longer in use and former polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) transformer sites. Soil contaminants at the sites include PCBs, volatile organics, semi-volatile organics, and metals.
The Navy will continue investigation and cleanup at both locations, which are on EPA’s National Priorities List—also known as the Superfund list. Clean-up actions to date have focused on PCB-contaminated soil that has been excavated and transported to NAS Barbers Point for treatment.
The document will be available online at www.epa.gov/region09/NavalComputer, along with additional information about the site history and cleanup progress. EPA will be accepting public comments on the document for 45 days, beginning April 3. Comments can be submitted via e-mail to ripperda.mark@epa.gov.