Welcome to the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach environmental cleanup program site. This site will be under constant construction as information is compiled and added. Available information includes how the cleanup program works, current status of program operations at Seal Beach, Detachment Fallbrook and Detachment Norco, and public documents associated with the Navy's environmental cleanup operations at all sites. The command's cleanup efforts fall into two primary programs, the Installation Restoration (IR) program and the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP). Support for these programs is provided by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest Division.
Latest Updates | |
* | 11/07/2016 - Site 75 Final Sampling and Analysis Plan Addendum |
* | 10/12/2016 - Site 70 Final Performance Monitoring Report 2015 |
* | 7/27/2016 - Draft Remedial Investigations for sites UXO 4 and UXO 5 |
IR Program Background The Installation Restoration (IR) program was established by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 1975 to identify, assess, characterize, and clean up or control contamination caused by historical disposal activities and other operations at military installations. The Navy IR Program was formally established in 1986. The IR program is carried out in accordance with all federal, state and local laws. The primary federal laws are CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and SARA, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. The California Environmental Protection Agency Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is the lead state regulatory agency providing oversight for the IR program. |
MMRP Background As part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 Defense Authorization Act, Congress mandated that DoD and the military components develop a program to address environmental health and safety hazards from unexploded ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions, and munitions constituents. The DoD and Navy responded by developing the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP), which is a unique program element under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program. The processes used in the traditional Installation Restoration cleanup program will in most cases apply to the MMRP as well. |
RAB Background An important part the Navy's environmental cleanup efforts at many bases is the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB). RABs are citizen advisory panels that receive updates on site cleanup progress, and also review and provide comments on remediation plans and documents. Each panel is made of representatives from the community, Navy, and federal, local and state regulatory agencies. Citizens from the community volunteer their time and effort to serve as RAB members. Each RAB is structured to meet both community needs and the requirements of the individual base cleanup program. RABs were first formed in 1994, specifically at installations slated for closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) act. Later, RABs were started at other bases not slated for closure, when the level of community interest warranted such an action. Currently, an active RAB is in operation at Seal Beach. |