Mid-Atlantic Superfund

EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)

Maryland
Prince George's County
Beltsville

EPA ID# MD0120508940

5th Congressional District

Last Update: June 2008

Other Names

None

Current Site Status

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Prince Georges County, Maryland is currently undergoing site screening at 59 areas to determine whether they warrant remediation under Superfund’s cleanup process. Work on six remedial investigation sites continues.

Site Description

BARC in Beltsville, Prince Georges County, Maryland covers 6,500 acres. The facility is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Research at BARC addresses soil, water and air conservation, human nutrition, and integration of agricultural systems as well as plant and animal science. In addition to large agricultural plots, wooded areas and wetlands, there are more than 800 buildings on the premises including research laboratories, administrative offices, shops, greenhouses, barns, and several houses.

Site Responsibility

The site is being addressed through Federal and State actions by the USDA.

NPL Listing History

Proposed Date: 05/10/93
Final Date: 05/31/94

Threats and Contaminants

USDA’s initial investigations in 1990, 1991, and 1992 revealed elevated levels of PAHs, several pesticides, PCBs, and a variety of heavy metals in soil, surface water, and sediments. Contaminated surface water threatens several creeks and streams such as the Paint Branch, Little Paint Branch, Beaver Dam Creek, and Indian Creek that receive drainage from the site. These waterways all flow into the Anacostia River, which, in turn, flows into the Potomac River. Contaminants in the groundwater and surface water also threaten nearby wetlands adjacent to Beaver Dam Creek. Fisheries in the Northeast Branch as well as the Anacostia River provide a habitat for the Bald Eagle, an endangered species, and the Swamp Pink flower, which is a threatened species.

Contaminant descriptions and associated risk factors are available at: (ATSDR web site) http://www.atsdrcdc.gov/hazdat.htm

 

Cleanup Progress

The EPA and USDA entered into a Federal Facilities Agreement (FFA) that established the framework for response actions at the facility. Site screening continues at the facility on 59 of the original 166 areas of concern (Arcs) that were identified through a review of historical operations.

In 1993 a removal action was conducted and 70,000 tons of waste were disposed of off-site. Groundwater contamination in the area remains and is currently under investigation. Four removal actions are currently underway for the removal of PCB contaminated soils.

There are 5 sites where remedial investigations and feasibility studies are being conducted. These include areas where groundwater is contaminated with organic solvents, landfills, a low-level radiation waste disposal site, and chemical disposal pits. Field work is underway or has been completed at each of these sites. USDA has implemented a three year vegetative landfill cover pilot study at one of these sites, the College Park Landfill.

Semi-annual groundwater sampling continues in the vicinity of the various disposal sites on the property.

A facility-wide ecological risk assessment has been completed and several site-specific ecological studies are currently under review. When these are completed and coupled with the human-health studies completed earlier, risk management decisions can be made on a number of areas of concern which may or may not require further study or remediation.

Contacts

Site Contacts

Administrative Record Locations