Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard

1.0 Site Identification

2.0 Site Status Summary

The Hunters Point Shipyard site is a former Navy shipyard located in the southeast portion of the City of San Francisco, California, situated on a long promontory extending eastward into the San Francisco Bay. The site currently consists of approximately 866 acres, 446 of which are under water. The site has both hazardous chemical and radiological contamination. The Navy believes that the residual radiological contamination is primarily the result of: 1) the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL) activities with both atomic weapons testing material and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) licensed material; 2) radium and strontium from radioluminescent devices; and 3) decontamination of ships that participated in the Pacific atomic weapons testing. The material from atomic weapons testing is exempt from NRC licensing under Section 91(b) of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA). All AEC license were terminated by 1970 following radiological surveys performed to the applicable radiological standards at the time.

The Navy believes that the AEC-licensed material would likely be commingled with, and indistinguishable from, the atomic weapons testing material, because both types of material were used by NRDL research. According to the Navy's 2004 Historical Radiological Assessment, the AEC-licensed material has the potential to exist base-wide in the storm drain lines, sanitary sewer lines, and septic systems, as well as one of the landfillsThis site was listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund list (National Priorities List (NPL)) in 1989. Under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Hunters Point was identified for closure in 1991. Under Superfund law, the military service that operated a base also is responsible for implementing the cleanup under CERCLA. The Navys cleanup at Hunters Point is done with independent oversight by EPA and state regulatory agencies under a Federal

Facilities Agreement signed in 1992. Six parcels (B, C, D, E, E-2, and F) have been identified to facilitate investigation and cleanup activities. A seventh parcel, Parcel A, was released for unrestricted use in 2004 and transferred to the City of San Francisco. The overall objective of the Navy's remediation is unrestricted release for Parcels C and D and major portions of Parcels B and E-2. Plans currently under review also propose restricted release for the fill areas of Parcel B and the existing landfill on Parcel E-2. For these restricted release areas, both institutional controls and engineering controls are planned. The current approach would result in a layered system of government controls including: City government ownership; legal controls using a restrictive covenant that involves the Navy, City, and State; and CERCLA-required oversight and enforcement through the Five-Year Review process conducted by the Navy and EPA.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Rather than exercising its regulatory authority for the licensable radioactive material assumed to be present, the Commission decided in June 2008 (SRM-SECY-08-0077) that NRC will rely on the ongoing Navy remediation under the CERCLA process and EPA regulatory oversight. The NRC staff would take a Limited Involvement Approach to Stay Informed throughout the Navy's remediation. The staff would stay informed by reading selective documents and conducting an annual site visit and progress meetings with the Navy, EPA, State agencies, and City of San Francisco. NRC would also reserve the option of commenting to EPA if necessary to justify the continued reliance on the CERCLA process. The staff is particularly following the plans and ongoing activities associated with the restricted areas mentioned above.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure