McClellan Air Force Base

1.0 Site Identification

2.0 Site Status Summary

Former McClellan Air Force Base (AFB) is a 3,452-acre site that was operated as an Air Force Logistic Command Base with a primary mission of management, maintenance, and repair of aircraft, electronics, and communication equipment. The site has both hazardous chemical and radiological contamination. Radiological contamination consists of: 1) radium-226 from aircraft dials and a radium paint shop; 2) samples of atomic weapons material collected and analyzed by the Air Forces' Radiological Monitoring Lab; and 3) exempt quantities used as laboratory standards or for training. This lab analyzed air samples with very small amounts of radionuclides from foreign atmospheric tests of atomic weapons. This material is classified under Section 91(b) of the Atomic Energy Act and is outside of NRC's jurisdiction. Regarding licensable material, the Air Force concluded that there is the potential for small amounts of radiological material to be present in the disposal pits that would be associated with the terminated Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) licenses. However, the Air Force also concluded that it is impossible to definitively demonstrate that licensed material was not placed in the pits without exhuming them and exhaustively characterizing the contents. The staff, therefore, assumes the potential for licensable material to be present, and that NRC has jurisdiction for this material.McClellan AFB was listed on EPA's Superfund list (National Priorities List (NPL)) in 1987. Under Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) IV, the McClellan AFB was identified fro closure in 1995 and was closed as an active military base in 2001. Under Superfund law, the military service that operated a base also is responsible for implementing the cleanup. The work at McClellan is done with oversight by EPA and state regulatory agencies under a Federal Facilities Agreement signed in 1990.

Two different approaches are currently being taken to address the contamination: the traditional CERCLA approach and the privatized cleanup approach. The traditional CERCLA approach at McClellan AFB involves the Air Force investigating the sites, determining the nature and extent of contamination in soil and groundwater, evaluating the risk, preparing a Record of Decision to document the selected remedial action and then designing and conducting the remedial actions. The privatized cleanup approach involves deeding the land to a private party before cleanup is complete. The private parcel would use money provided by the Air Force to complete cleanup under direction of EPA and state regulators. Privitization combines redevelopment needs with cleanup to help accelerate the reuse of the sites. If sites are contaminated with radionuclides, the radionuclide contamination would be cleanup by the Air Force before the property could be transferred for a privatized cleanup of the chemical contamination. For the 11 burial pits, the Air Force is planning on restricted use for these areas using both institutional controls and engineering controls.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Rather than exercising its regulatory authority for the licenseable radioactive material assumed to be present, the Commission decided that NRC will rely on the ongoing Air Force remediation under the CERCLA process and EPA regulatory oversight. However, the NRC staff would take a limited involvement approach to stay informed throughout the Air Force's remediation. The staff would stay informed by reading selective documents and conducting an annual site visit and progress meetings with the Air Force, EPA, State agencies, and Sacramento County. NRC would also reserve the option of commenting to EPA if necessary to justify our continued reliance on the CERCLA process. The staff is particularly following the plans associated with the potential restricted areas mentioned above.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure