Jump to main content.

Multimedia Quick Finder

 

Base Closure Team

In 1988, Congress established a process to realign and close surplus military property and return the property for local economic development. The process required the President to establish the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The Secretary of Defense proposed a list of bases for closure and realignment. The Commission held public hearings and reported its findings to the President. The President had 15 days to approve or disapprove. After approval, the recommendations were sent to Congress, which had 45 days to disapprove or the recommendations became law. There have been five Base Closure rounds: 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 2005. The latest round of Closures includes three major facilities in Region 6: Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, Texas ; Naval Station Ingleside, Texas and Brooks City Base, Texas . The Lone Star facility has been in an inactive status for several years; Ingleside Naval Station is a relatively new facility; and Brooks AFB was privatized and transferred to the city of San Antonio in 2002 (but the Air Force currently leases space back from the city).

CERCLA Section 120(h) regulates how property is transferred by Federal agencies. Early in the Base Closure process the Administration pledged to give top priority to early reuse of the bases' valuable assets by host communities. The program established environmental cleanup teams with members from EPA, state environmental agencies, and DoD. The teams work to find common sense environmental solutions, minimize the red tape and involve the communities by the creation of citizen restoration advisory boards at each base. It has not yet been determined whether this process will continue for the 2005 closures.

Screening level tables have been developed to aid the process by providing information on levels of contamination in the soil, air and/or water that may be of concern for human health. Two files can be downloaded, a Word file that explains the rationale and equations used to derive the screening values, and an Excel file that provides the screening values, the toxicity factors, the physical-chemical data, and the pathway-specific values. All of the text or screening values can either be viewed or downloaded.

EPA Region 6 is comprised of 5 States: Louisiana , Arkansas , Texas , New Mexico , and Oklahoma .

The bases Region 6 is currently involved with include:

BERGSTROM AIR FORCE BASE - AUSTIN, TEXAS

Bergstrom Sign

.
Bergstrom AFB, now called Austin- Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), was one of the most dramatic military conversions ever accomplished. The city was poised to buy land for a new airport, but fortunate timing by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round of 1991, allowed Austin to convert the closed air base into an international airport. All 3,197 acres were transferred to the city for it's use.

. Bergstrom Sign
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
Background:
Bergstrom Air Force Base is located approximately seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It began operations on September 19, 1942. During it's more than 50 years of use, a variety of hazardous and non-hazardous materials were used that may have impacted the environment.

Contaminants: VOCs, pesticides, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and low-level radioactive waste

Media Affected: Groundwater and soil.

Remedial Actions: All remedial actions have been implemented. Contaminated soil has been excavated and the site is conducting long-term monitoring of the groundwater.

The new ABIA represents a perfect match between meeting the needs of the community and making closing military installation facilities available for reuse. This base was placed on a fast-track cleanup schedule so it could meet the airport's opening deadline of April 1999. A team of city and state agencies, EPA Region 6, and the Air Force Base Conversion Agency, now known as the Air Force Real Property Agency, expedited site investigation and cleanup plans. Environmental cleanup was integrated with the construction of ABIA to facilitate and expedite the property transition. The City of Austin estimates it saved $200 million in land acquisition and runway construction costs alone by transforming the former AF base into the $690 million international airport.

ABIA logo
......................................................................................................................................................................................................

EPA CONTACT:
Bergstrom Airport Terminal
......................................................................................................................................................................................................

STATE CONTACT:

Aerial photo of Bergstrom International Airport

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

FACILITY CONTACT:

Bergstrom International Airport Terminal

CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE - FORT WORTH, TEXAS
(NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JRB)

Carswell is a 3,253 acre former Air Force Base on the west side of Fort Worth , Texas . Carswell was selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round of 1991. The majority of the base was realigned as the Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth . A federal prison has taken over 104 acres, including the former base hospital. A small part of the base was be realigned to the adjacent Air Force Plant No. 4. Of the approximately 550 acres remaining, approximately 423 remain to be transferred which are the golf course (176 acres) that is now leased to the Westworth Redevelopment Authority (WRA) and the off-base Weapons Storage Area (247 acres). There is a National Priorities List (NPL) trichloroethene (TCE) groundwater plume that extends under the golf course property from an adjoining Superfund Site. The TCE plume under the golf course property is being addressed by a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) that was constructed in 2002. An Explanation of Significant (ESD) is being prepared to address the fact the plume under the golf course will no longer be on federal property after the golf course is transferred. At the Weapons Storage Area (WSO) a removal action consisting of scabbling concrete to remove low-level radiation from a bunker was conducted. Radiation was intended to be removed to background levels. However, some residual remains. The final recommendation will likely be to leave the residual contamination in place with no further removal, but with a use restriction on the contaminated bunker to prevent unsafe exposure. Also, at the WSO, the Air Force is now planning to have the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) area cleared again. Previously, it had only been surfaced cleared. Deeper clearance would allow unrestricted use of the property. The EOD investigation identified approximately 8,000 anomalies that are possible ordnance items or fragments. EPA is concerned about balancing residential use with the uncertainty associated with ordnance clearance operations. All remaining remediation work at Carswell is scheduled to be completed by 2007.

EPA CONTACT:

STATE CONTACT:

FACILITY CONTACT:

DALLAS Naval Air Station

In 1993, NAS Dallas was selected for closure under the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990, which was established to outline requirements for military installations upon closure. NAS Dallas is located in the Cities of Grand Prairie and Dallas in Dallas County, Texas. NAS Dallas is 12 miles southwest of downtown Dallas and lies adjacent to the northwest shore of Mountain Creek Lake. Of the 837 acres that make up NAS Dallas, 669 acres were leased from the City of Dallas. The remaining property has been transferred to the City of Grand Prairie and the Department of Defense.

Currently, all soil cleanup activities have been completed at the site. Only groundwater remediation activities remain. Under an agreement with the City of Dallas, all remediation must meet the State of Texas (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) residential cleanup numbers for contaminants. The residential standard applies to all media (soil, groundwater, surface water, etc.). The Navy must meet clean up the groundwater by 2017. The groundwater cleanup remedy chosen by the Navy is monitored natural attenuation. This remedy requires the Navy to monitor the groundwater twice a year for various parameters to ensure that the contamination is being reduced.

EAKER AIR FORCE BASE - BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS

Eaker Air Force Base is located approximately 3 miles northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas, on Interstate 55 between St Louis and Memphis. Eaker AFB was selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round of 1991. The base closed in December 1992 and has re-opened as a general aviation/commercial airport and industrial park known as the Arkansas Aeroplex.


Background:
Constructed on former agricultural land, Eaker AFB was activated as an Army Airfield in 1942. After WWII the airfield was deactivated and transferred to the City of Blytheville.  In 1955, the land was reactivated as Blytheville Air Force Base (AFB) and renamed Eaker AFB in 1988.

Map of Arkansas showing Eaker A.F.B
......................................................................................................................................................................................................
Aerial photo of KBYH (Arkansas International Airport)

Site Status:
Following base closure, the site underwent successive stages of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action program to address impacts to environmental media that occurred during base operations. To date, 3 Solid Waste Management Units and 1 Area of Concern are still undergoing successful corrective actions for groundwater contamination. All other SWMUs and AOCs have been closed in accordance with federal and state regulations.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

All 3,401 acres of BRAC property has been transferred. The former base is currently used by a variety of businesses, federal agencies, several non-profit organizations, and by the community. Now called the Arkansas Aeroplex, it is a multi-modal transportation facility that includes the Arkansas International Airport. The Arkansas Aeroplex has utilized many of the former base structures and facilities, including the runway. The military still makes use of the Arkansas International Airport in flight training maneuvers, and as a landing site to pick up and drop off local National Guard Troops.
Aeroplex Logo

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

EPA CONTACT:

STATE CONTACT:

BRAC CONTACT:

Control Tower at Aeroplex

ENGLAND AIR FORCE BASE - ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA

England Air Force Base, in Alexandria , LA , was closed in 1992. It is now home to Alexandria International Airport , England Industrial Airpark & Community, restaurants, and a boutique hotel at the new Oak Wing Golf Club, which is on Louisiana 's Audubon Golf Trail. Approximately half of the base has been transferred by deed to the England Economic & Industrial Development District, which also controls the rest of the base under a long-term lease. The U. S. Air Force Real Property Agency, in cooperation with EPA and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), has conducted environmental restoration activities at many sites across the former base, including the former landfill areas, assorted spill sites, water towers, oil & water separators, underground storage tanks, fire training areas, and fuel pipelines. Long-term remediation of ground water contamination by chlorinated solvents is underway, and will be conducted under a permit currently in development by LDEQ. In June of 2004, EPA and LDEQ jointly issued a "Ready for Reuse" certificate for the portion of the base the Oak Wing Golf Club is located on.

EPA CONTACT:

STATE CONTACT:

FACILITY CONTACT

FORT CHAFFEE - FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS

Fort Chaffee is a 71,273-acre Army training reservation located east of Fort Smith , Arkansas . Fort Chaffee was selected for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round of 1995. Past operations of environmental significance included equipment maintenance, disposal of municipal type waste, incineration of municipal type waste, usage of lead-based paint, detonation and deactivation of munitions, large and small arms training facilities and storage of munitions. Under the BRAC cleanup process, 49 contaminated sites were addressed. Five FOSTs (Findings of Suitability to Transfer) were completed for the transfer of 7,192 acres to the public. A Ready-for-Reuse (RfR) certificate was issued in February 2004. All BRAC property has been transferred.

EPA CONTACT:

STATE CONTACT:

FACILITY CONTACT:

FORT WINGATE DEPOT ACTIVITY - GALLUP, NEW MEXICO

Fort Wingate Depot Activity (FWDA) is located about eight miles east of Gallup , NM , on the south side of Interstate 40. FWDA closed in January of 1993 after nearly a century and a half of military uses, first as a cavalry post, then as a munitions depot. Approximately one third of the facility's 21,131 acres are under current reuse by the Missile Defense Agency. Another 967 acres have been returned to the Bureau of Land Management, which holds those lands for the future beneficial use of the Navajo and the Zuni. The remaining lands also are planned to go to tribal use following their cleanup.

Environmental investigation and cleanup efforts, including munitions clearance, have been made on a nearly continuous basis since 1994. Major environmental concerns at this site include munitions hazards and groundwater contamination by explosives and nitrates. On December 31, 2005, the New Mexico Environment Department's RCRA permit came into effect, establishing a basis for a more-scheduled cleanup of the facility.

EPA CONTACT:
    EPA CONTACT:
    Chuck Hendrickson (6PD-F)
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
    1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
    Dallas, Texas 75202-2733
    (214)-665-2196
    FAX (214)-665-7263
    E-MAIL Address: hendrickson.charles@epa.gov
Photo of entrance to Fort Wingate

STATE CONTACT:

    Tammy Diaz (Hazardous Waste Permits/Closure)
    Hazardous Waste Bureau
    New Mexico Environment Department
    2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1
    Santa Fe , NM 87505
    (505)-428-2552
    E-MAIL Address: tammy.diaz@state.nm.us
Photo of New Mexico Desert and Mountains
FACILITY CONTACT:

KELLY AIR FORCE BASE - SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Kelly AFB formerly occupied approximately 4,000 acres on the Southwest side of San Antonio. The Air Force Real Property Agency (AFRPA) retains the responsibility for conducting all environmental restoration activities on the former Kelly AFB including the 2,107 acres that was realigned to Lackland AFB. Lackland is completing the cleanup of a parcel located around the former golf course. A total of 379 acres have been transferred to the Greater Kelly Development Authority, who has a long-term lease on the remaining acreage. Because of past waste management practices at Kelly AFB, some areas of the Base are known or suspected to be impacted by various hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, or wastes, including metals, VOCs, and SVOCs. The Post-Closure Care Permit and Ground-Water Compliance Plan issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) identified 52 solid waste management units (SWMUs) that required investigation and potential corrective action. The SWMUs including landfills, spill sites, former fire training areas, low-level radioactive waste sites, underground storage tanks, aircraft maintenance areas, sludge lagoons, sludge-spreading beds, and range sites (which is a small arms range). In addition to SWMUs, there were 334 sites that required some type of investigation, these include: container storage areas, wash racks, drains, oil/water separators, silver recovery units and spill sites. There were approximately 360 sites that had underground storage tanks, aboveground storage tanks or tanks that had previously been removed. We do not track these sites, however, we do make sure they have been investigated and remediated if needed. Contaminated groundwater has migrated approximately 6 miles off-site to the East and Southeast at concentrations above health-base limits, however the affected shallow aquifer is not used as a source of drinking water in the vicinity of the facility. A total of 17 interim systems have been installed on-site to prevent further off-site migration of contaminated groundwater and to prevent further discharge of contaminants into Leon Creek. These include containment, pump and treat, soil vapor extraction, removals and permeable reactive barriers. The area where the former Kelly golf course was partially constructed over landfills contains 10 SWMUs that have not been closed. Although this area is included with the Kelly compliance plan, Lackland AFB is responsible for the corrective action proposed for this area. Investigation started in late FY 2005 with final closure planned by the end of FY 2007. Of the remaining SWMUs all but one will be closed and remedy in place by December 30, 2006. The remedy for soils in the 300 area will not be implemented until the summer of 2007.

EPA CONTACT:
STATE CONTACT:

FACILITY CONTACT:

RED RIVER ARMY DEPOT - TEXARKANA, TEXAS

Background

The Red River Army Depot (RRAD) is an active United States Army Facility covering 19,081 acres in northeastern Texas in Bowie County . 765 acres have been, or are scheduled for, transfer under the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). The remaining 18,316 acres were on the proposed BRAC 2005 list. However, after the final Commission decision, RRAD was not closed but was realigned. The details for the RRAD realignment have not been completed, but potentially as many as 12,000 additional acres may be transferred. The Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant (LSAAP) is located adjacent to RRAD and will be closed under BRAC 2005. LSAAP consists of 15,546 acres. The major operational facilities on RRAD include maintenance and reconstruction of light-tracked vehicles; demilitarization of out-of-specification ordnance; ammunition storage; renovation, maintenance, modification, rectification of the Hawk, Chaparral, and Patriot missiles; and track- and road-wheel rebuilding of a wide variety of specialty vehicles. The majority of the acreage is used for ammunition storage and/or timber management.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has shown interest in participating in a Fed-to-Fed land transfer to obtain acreage for use as a wildlife management area.

Photo of Red River Army Depot

Major Issues at RRAD

RRAD has known groundwater contamination under the various manufacturing buildings at the Site. In addition, a Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) plume has also been encountered under the storm water conveyance ditches at depths down to 35 feet. This DNAPL will act as a continuing source to contaminate groundwater for the foreseeable future. There is also known sediment contamination off-post in Panther Creek.

Site Status

The groundwater contaminant plume has migrated towards Panther Creek and has impacted Panther Creek. There is known surface water contamination in Panther Creek, both on-post and off-post. Four groundwater monitoring wells were installed north of the RRAD facility near Panther Creek. The latest analytical results from these off-post groundwater monitoring wells show TCE concentrations off-post at over 4.5 ?g/l (TCE MCL is 5 ?g/l).

Photo of Military Equipment

Environmental Threat

The EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have had numerous discussions with RRAD concerning the impacts to Panther Creek and off-post groundwater. Remedial measures must be taken to mitigate the continued impacts to Panther Creek and the groundwater (particularly off-post groundwater). To that extent, the EPA and TCEQ have recommended that a Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) be installed to prevent the contaminated groundwater plume from reaching Panther Creek. It will allow the contaminated groundwater to be remediated in the PRB prior to reaching Panther Creek.

In August 2005, RRAD issued a performance based contract (PBC) to KEMRON Environmental Services to have the last remedy in place (LRIP) by September 30, 2007. Subsequent discussions with Kemron indicate that PRB's will be installed to protect Panther Creek. An Installation Action Plan (IAP) meeting was held at RRAD on February 14 - 15, 2006 to further discuss the path forward for remedial activities. In addition, an IAP meeting was held at LSAAP on February 16, 2006.

Photo of Army Jeep

Site Contaminants

- Metals
- VOCs
- SVOCs

Photo of Tank

Congressional Interest

Since RRAD and LSAAP were both on the BRAC 2005 list, there has been a high level of congressional interest, including both U.S. Senators from Texas (Cornyn and Hutchison). The Regional BRAC hearing was held in San Antonio on July 11, 2005. Approximately 2,000 yellow-shirted people from the RRAD area attended the hearing. Texas Governor Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchison, and U.S. Senator John Cornyn spoke in support of RRAD and LSAAP. As a result of the Congressional support, RRAD was realigned instead of closed.

Information Current as of February 2, 2006

Photo of missle

EPA CONTACT:

Greg Lyssy (6PD-F)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75202-2733
(214) 665-8317
FAX (214) 665-7263
E-MAIL Address: lyssy.gregory@epa.gov

STATE CONTACT:

Goef Meyer
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Federal Facilities Team
P.O. Box 13087
Austin , Texas 78711-3087
(512) 239-2577
FAX (512) 239-2346
E-MAIL Address: gmeyer@tceq.state.tx.us

FACILITY CONTACT:

Ross Ramsauer, BRAC Environmental Coordinator
100 Main Drive, SIORR-BTO
Red River Army Depot
Texarkana, Texas 75507-5000
(903) 334-2594
E-MAIL Address: ross.ramsauer @us.army.mil

REESE AIR FORCE BASE - LUBBOCK, TEXAS

Reese AFB formerly occupied approximately 2987 acres west of Lubbock , Texas . A 520 acre outlying field in Terry County was sold to an individual. Of the remaining property all but 333 acres have been transferred to the Lubbock-Reese Redevelopment Authority, who has a long term lease on the remaining acreage. A total of 22 Solid Waste Management Units and numerous areas of concern were investigated and remedies have been put in place. Remedies include: SVE, pump and treat, soil removal and capping of a large landfill.

An Operating Properly and Successfully (OPS) demonstrations were approved by EPA for the Southwest Landfill Area Plume and the POL Area in February 2004.

The Tower Area Plume extends off base approximately 2.5 miles. The major contaminate is TCE and impacts private wells Northeast of the base. Although the cleanup is part of the compliance plan issued by TCEQ, the plume is still subject to a 7003 order issued by EPA in 1993. The 7003 order requires the Air Force to provide an alternative drinking water source to the impacted homeowners.

The Air Force has submitted an OPS document for the Tower Area Plume and our review indicates the OPS can be approved. A final FOST and OPS for the remaining property is being compiled and we should receive the documents for final review by June 2006, pending approval of closure for two sites by TCEQ.

EPA CONTACT:

STATE CONTACT:

FACILITY CONTACT:

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.