Jump to main content.

Fact Sheet

July 2010

Public Notice of Draft Permit Renewal and Proposed Remedies, Landfill 4, Old Jet Engine Test Stand, Building 301, Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue, Sarpy County, Nebraska

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces a public comment period for the draft permit renewal and proposed cleanup actions for Landfill 4 (LF4), Old Jet Engine Test Stand (OJETS), and Building 301 (B301) areas at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB), Nebraska. Alternate cleanup options were also considered for these sites and are described in the Statements of Basis that can be found in the Administrative Record file at the Bellevue Public Library.

The public comment period will run from July 19 to September 2, 2010, to enable the public to participate in the remedy selection process.

A public availability session will be held on July 29, 2010, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Bellevue Public Library to allow the public an opportunity to discuss the proposed final cleanup actions with EPA and Offutt representatives.

A public hearing is not scheduled at this time. If the public requests a public hearing, in writing, with a statement of issues to be raised at the hearing, EPA will evaluate any request and hold a formal hearing if it finds that a hearing will contribute to the decision-making process by clarifying significant issues affecting the Permit.

You Are Invited

Representatives from EPA and Offutt AFB will be available to provide information and answer questions at a public availability meeting on Thursday, July 29, 2010. The meeting will be held at the Bellevue Public Library, 1003 Lincoln Road, Bellevue, Nebraska from 5 to 7p.m.

EPA Region 7 is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting, please notify the EPA Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, Jonathan Cooper, 800-223-0425 or at cooper.jonathan@epa.gov. Speech or hearing impaired individuals should e-mail or call using the local relay service.

Written comments can be submitted by mail or e-mail, and must be received no later than close of business September 2, 2010. Comments should be sent to:

Jeff Johnson
U.S. EPA, AWMD/RCAP
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
johnson.jeff@epa.gov

Comments received will be summarized in a Response to Comments, and responses will be provided to those individuals providing the comments. The Response to Comments will be drafted at the conclusion of the public comment period and incorporated into the administrative record. EPA may modify the proposed final remedies or select other alternatives based upon new information and comments from the public.

BACKGROUND

Offutt AFB is located just south of Bellevue, Nebraska. In 1987, EPA issued a federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Management Permit to Offutt AFB, which allowed for the operation of a hazardous waste storage facility at the site. This permitted storage facility was recently cleaned and closed under RCRA.

The draft RCRA permit renewal would be issued for areas at the site where contaminants have been released and require cleanup, and contains specific conditions for the proposed cleanup plan to address contamination at LF4, OJETS, and B301. See map for locations.

Public Notice of Draft Permit Renewal and Proposed Remedies, Landfill 4, Old Jet Engine Test Stand, Building 301, Offutt Air Force Base, Bellevue, Sarpy County, Nebraska, July 2010 - Map

Contamination, in the form of the chlorinated solvents trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,2-dichloroethylene (1,2-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC), has been found in soil and ground water at all three areas. The cause of the contamination is not precisely known but may be related to cleaning of liquid oxygen manufacturing equipment at LF4, use of waste solvents for dust suppression at OJETS, and use of solvents in the cleaning of emergency electrical generation equipment or leaks from transformers at B301. In all three areas, the ground water contaminant plumes extend off-site.

An assessment of health risk conducted in each area determined that TCE, 1,2-DCE, and VC present in ground water in these areas pose a threat to human health if the contaminated ground water is used as a drinking water source. Seepage of TCE vapor into Building 301 was also determined to present a potential risk to building inhabitants.

PROPOSED REMEDY

The proposed remedies for the three sites are outlined below:

LF4:

  1. Injection of a chemical (potassium permanganate) that will breakdown contaminants in ground water within the source area;
  2. Injection of chemicals to stimulate microbial activity and form below-ground treatment areas to break down contaminants in ground water on and off Base;
  3. Ground water pump and treat system to control off-site movement of contaminants;
  4. Use of natural processes to further degrade contaminants and work with other remedy components to achieve drinking water standards throughout the area of ground water impacts; and
  5. Land use controls to prevent contaminated ground water from being used as a drinking water source.

OJETS:

  1. Same as 2 in LF4 (above);
  2. Same as 4 in LF4; and
  3. Same as 5 in LF4.

B301:

  1. Sealing of utility conduit openings in B301 to prevent TCE vapor from entering the building;
  2. A vertical below-ground treatment wall composed of iron filings to reduce contaminants in ground water to non-toxic byproducts;
  3. Injection of bio-stimulant to promote breakdown of contaminants in ground water at the source, base boundary and off base;
  4. Extraction of both contaminated vapor and ground water to remove and treat contaminants in ground water and soil gas in the source area;
  5. Storm sewer pipe replacement and drainage of an area where ground water seeps to the surface to reduce contaminated ground water discharge to surface water;
  6. Woodchip treatment wall to treat the contaminated ground water at the base boundary;
  7. Same as 4 in LF4 (above); and
  8. Same as 5 in LF4.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

For each area, the proposed cleanup actions and alternate cleanup options were evaluated using the following criteria:

Based on this comparison, EPA has determined the proposed cleanup actions present the best balance of cost and protectiveness among the alternatives considered. Detailed information on this comparison is presented in the Statements of Basis for each area, available at the locations below.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Copies of the documents describing the proposed remedies for LF4, OJETS, and B301 are available to the public during normal business hours at the following locations:

Bellevue Public Library
1003 Lincoln Rd.
Bellevue, Nebraska
(402) 293-3157

EPA Region 7 Records Center
901 N. 5th St.
Kansas City, Kansas
(913) 551-7241

If you have questions, or want to join the mailing list, please contact

Beckie Himes
Community Involvement Coordinator
U.S. EPA, Region 7, Office of Public Affairs
901 N. 5th Street
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: (913) 551-7253
Toll free: (800) 223-0425

Joining the mailing list will allow individuals to receive any updated information related to this site.

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.