Air Force Signs Cleanup Decision for Park, Museum Parcel

  • Published
The Air Force marked a big milestone in the cleanup and revitalization of the former McClellan Air Force Base with the signing of a Record of Decision for the cleanup of a 26-acre parcel at the corner of Dudley Boulevard and Freedom Park Drive. This parcel, still owned by the Air Force, is home to the Aerospace Museum of California and Freedom Park.

"With the signing of this document and implementation of the remedy, we can transfer ownership to the community where it will continue to serve as a resource for the entire region to enjoy," said Steve Mayer, McClellan environmental coordinator for the Air Force Real Property Agency.

In 1967, the Air Force acquired the property, referred to as Area of Concern [AOC] G1. It was a recreational area and was never developed for industrial activities. However, before the Air Force acquired the property, a small automotive repair facility on the site had a disposal area on a portion of the property. Fill dirt for low areas on the site included debris such as concrete, asphalt, tar paper, bricks, glass, burnt wood, ash, and auto-related metal scraps.

The Record of Decision details the remedy for protecting human health from the disposal area. The contaminants include volatile organic compounds in soil gas and non-volatile organic compounds in soil including semi-volatile organic compounds, metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The remedy calls for "institutional controls" on the property, prohibiting residential use and restricting some digging in the area with the buried construction debris. This remedy was coordinated with the future property recipients, the Aerospace Museum of California and the North Highlands Recreation and Park District, and is consistent with their future plans for the property.

With the signing of this ROD, the Air Force's institutional control remedy is officially in place. In the next few months, 6.5 acres currently housing the Aerospace Museum of California will be transferred to the museum and 19.5 acres will be transferred to North Highlands Recreation and Park District.

The Record of Decision is a legally binding document signed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California, represented by the Department of Toxic Substances Control.

The cleanup protects human health and the environment, and complies with the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The public provided comments on the Air Force's proposed cleanup plan during a 30-day public comment period from June 8 to July 8, 2009. These comments and the Air Force's responses are in the Responsiveness Summary of the Record of Decision.

The AOC G-1 Record of Decision is available for public review in the McClellan Information Repository, McClellan's library of cleanup-related documents.
 
McClellan Information Repository
3411 Olson Street, McClellan, CA 95652
Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday - Friday
For an appointment, call (916) 643-1250, ext. 201
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Media Contact:
Linda Geissinger
Regional Public Affairs Officer
Air Force Real Property Agency
3411 Olson St, Suite 105
McClellan, CA 95652-1071
Phone: (916) 643-6420 x109