Defense Infrastructure: Environmental Cleanup of Former Naval
Facilities on Vieques (26-MAR-07, GAO-07-552R).
This report responds to Congress's request that GAO determine the
status and estimated costs of environmental cleanup on the island
of Vieques. For decades, the U.S. Navy conducted ship-to-shore
bombing exercises and other live-fire training activities on the
island, which is located off the coast of Puerto Rico. The Navy
ceased its operations on Vieques in 2003. The Navy has
transferred the land to the Municipality of Vieques and the
Puerto Rico Conservation Trust for conservation purposes and to
the Department of the Interior. Although the land has been
transferred, the Navy remains responsible for environmental
cleanup. The cleanup is being carried out under the Defense
Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) that consists of (1) the
Installation Restoration Program, which addresses cleanup of
hazardous substances, and (2) the Military Munitions Response
Program, which addresses cleanup of munitions.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-07-552R
ACCNO: A67285
TITLE: Defense Infrastructure: Environmental Cleanup of Former
Naval Facilities on Vieques
DATE: 03/26/2007
SUBJECT: Conservation
Contamination
Environmental cleanups
Land management
Land transfers
Military facilities
Munitions
Program evaluation
Cost estimates
DOD Defense Environmental Restoration
Program
EPA National Priorities List
Vieques (Puerto Rico)
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GAO-07-552R
* [1]PDF6-Ordering Information.pdf
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March 26, 2007
The Honorable Charles B. Rangel
House of Representatives
Subject: Defense Infrastructure: Environmental Cleanup of Former Naval
Facilities on Vieques
Dear Mr. Rangel:
This report responds to your request that we determine the status and
estimated costs of environmental cleanup on the island of Vieques. For
decades, the U.S. Navy conducted ship-to-shore bombing exercises and other
live-fire training activities on the island, which is located off the
coast of Puerto Rico. The Navy ceased its operations on Vieques in 2003.
The Navy has transferred the land to the Municipality of Vieques and the
Puerto Rico Conservation Trust for conservation purposes and to the
Department of the Interior. Although the land has been transferred, the
Navy remains responsible for environmental cleanup. The cleanup is being
carried out under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP)
that consists of (1) the Installation Restoration Program, which addresses
cleanup of hazardous substances, and (2) the Military Munitions Response
Program, which addresses cleanup of munitions.
We obtained information on the status and estimated costs of environmental
cleanup on Vieques from the Department of the Navy. We performed our work
from January through March 2007 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards.
Summary
The Navy has identified 37 potentially contaminated sites on Vieques that
fall under the installation restoration program. The Navy concluded that
no further action was required for 9 of these sites, and the remaining 28
sites are in various phases of the cleanup process. The Navy has allocated
about $18.1 million for the investigation and cleanup of these sites
through fiscal year 2006 and estimates that an additional $15.2 million is
needed to complete cleanup.
The Navy has begun the surface removal of munitions on both the east and
west sides of Vieques under the munitions response program. In fiscal
years 2007 and 2008, the Navy plans to continue surface removal of
munitions on eastern Vieques and to begin subsurface munitions clearance
on beaches on the eastern and western sides and other selected areas on
western Vieques that have been surface cleared. The Navy has allocated
about $35.4 million for the removal and investigation of munitions cleanup
of Vieques through fiscal year 2006, and has programmed an additional
$235.3 million for cleanup. The Navy's cost estimates for munitions
cleanup could change depending on the outcome of the site investigations
and the final reuse plan developed by the Department of the Interior.
Background
On February 11, 2005, in response to a request from the Governor of Puerto
Rico, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed Vieques Island on
the National Priorities List (NPL) of seriously contaminated sites. The
areas of Vieques listed on the NPL encompass the western side of the
island, where the Navy stored and disposed of munitions at the former
Naval Ammunition and Support Detachment, and on the eastern side, where
the Navy conducted live-fire training exercises in the eastern maneuver
area, as shown in figure 1.
Figure 1: Former Navy Land on Vieques
In April 2001, the Navy transferred about 5,000 acres of land on the
western side of the island to the Municipality of Vieques and the Puerto
Rico Conservation Trust and about 3,100 acres to the Department of the
Interior. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002^1
required the Navy to close its installations on the eastern end of the
island, and to transfer that land to the Department of the Interior. In
April 2003, the Navy transferred about 14,700 acres on the eastern side of
the island to the Department of the Interior, which combined that acreage
with the 3,100 acres transferred in 2001 to establish the Vieques National
Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Area under the management of the Fish and
Wildlife Service. The act stipulated that the Department of the Interior
administer 900 acres on the eastern tip of the island, which was the
live-impact area of the former bombing range, as a wilderness area. The
law prohibits public access to this area. The act does not prohibit public
access to the remaining 13,800 acres on the eastern side of the island.
The extent of public access in this area will be governed by the refuge
comprehensive conservation plan, to be prepared by the Fish and Wildlife
Service, which will identify the refuge goals, long-term objectives, and
strategies for achieving refuge purposes.
^1 Pub. L. No. 107-107, S 1049 (2001).
The Navy remains responsible for cleanup of environmental problems on its
former properties. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended,^2 authorizes cleanup
actions at federal facilities where there is a release of a hazardous
substance into the environment or the threat of such a release. The CERCLA
process generally includes the following phases and activities:
preliminary assessment, site inspection, remedial investigation and
feasibility study, remedial design and remedial action, and long-term
monitoring. (An explanation of these phases is provided in enc. I.) The
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986^3 added provisions to
CERCLA specifically governing the cleanup of federal facilities and, among
other things, required the Secretary of Defense to carry out the DERP. The
DERP consists of two subprograms: (1) the Installation Restoration
Program, which addresses cleanup of hazardous substances, and (2) the
Military Munitions Response Program, which addresses cleanup of munitions,
including unexploded ordnance and the contaminants and metals related to
the munitions.
Installation Restoration Program
The Navy has identified 37 potentially contaminated installation
restoration sites on Vieques. (Enc. II provides information on each site.)
The status of installation site cleanup on the western and eastern sides
of Vieques is described below.
o Western Vieques (17 sites). The Navy concluded that no further
action was required for 9 sites. According to Navy officials, EPA
and the technical staff of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality
Board concurred with the Navy's recommendation for no further
action at these sites. However, the board's senior management
deferred final approval until a public hearing was conducted.
Although a public hearing was held in January 2004, the board did
not provide the community with a final decision. As a result, the
Navy is
currently developing a plan to provide for a public review and
comment period.
Remedial investigations are ongoing at the eight other sites. Risk
assessments for three of those sites are anticipated to be
completed by the third quarter of fiscal year 2007, and for
another site in the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. The Navy
has developed a removal action plan for the four remaining sites
that is anticipated to be implemented by the fourth quarter of
fiscal year 2007.
o Eastern Vieques (20 sites). A preliminary assessment/site
inspection has been completed for the 20 eastern sites. A soil
background investigation is ongoing to establish background levels
for naturally occurring metals in the soils. The background
investigation, anticipated to be completed by the end of 2007,
will determine which sites will be recommended for remedial
investigation and which sites will be recommended for no further
actions.
^2 Pub. L. No. 96-510 (1980), as amended.
^3 Pub. L. No. 99-499, S 120 and S 211 (1986).
The Navy has allocated about $18.1 million for the investigation and
cleanup of installation restoration sites through fiscal year 2006 and
estimates that an additional $15.2 million is needed to complete cleanup,
as shown in table 1.
Table 1: Navy Cost Estimate for Cleanup of Installation Restoration Sites
on Vieques
Dollars in thousands
Fiscal year Western Eastern Total
2007 $520 $2,351 $2,871
2008 226 1,993 $2,219
2009 211 1,691 $1,902
2010 182 179 $361
2011 203 1,597 $1,800
2012 and beyond 92 6,003 $6,095
Total $1,434 $13,814 $15,248
Source: Department of the Navy.
The Navy's cost estimates for installation restoration sites are based on
the type and extent of contamination identified to date and the remedies
it assumes would be adequate to prevent human exposure. Actual costs could
differ, depending on the outcome of the site investigations and the final
selection of remedial actions.
Military Munitions Response Program
The Navy has begun the surface removal of munitions on both the east and
west sides of Vieques. In fiscal year 2007 and 2008, the Navy plans to
continue surface removal of munitions on eastern Vieques and to begin
subsurface munitions clearance on beaches on the eastern and western sides
and other selected areas on western Vieques that have been surface
cleared. The status of munitions cleanup on the western and eastern sides
of Vieques is described below.
o Western Vieques. A 100-acre surface munitions clearance was
competed in fiscal year 2003, and surface clearance at the former
open burn/open detonation site^4 will be conducted in fiscal years
2007 and 2008.
o Eastern Vieques. A preliminary assessment/site inspection
identified approximately 9,000 acres potentially affected by
munitions and explosives of concern in the former eastern maneuver
area. Approximately 1,100 acres, which includes the former
live-impact area, is currently undergoing a time-critical removal
action to remove munitions from the surface. A total of 290 acres
(225 acres inland and 65 acres of beaches) have been surfaced
cleared. The Navy expects to complete surface removal of the
remaining 810 acres covered by the time-critical removal action by
2010. The cleanup of the remaining 7,900 acres potentially
affected by munitions will depend on the results of future site
investigations and the final comprehensive conservation plan being
developed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of
the Interior.
^4 The open burn/open detonation site was used to destroy excess,
obsolete, or unserviceable munitions.
The Navy has allocated about $35.4 million for the investigation of
munitions cleanup of Vieques through fiscal year 2006, and has programmed
an additional $235.2 million for cleanup, as shown in table 2.
Table 2: Navy Cost Estimate for Munitions Cleanup on Vieques
Dollars in thousands
Fiscal year Western Eastern Total
2007 $1,538 $20,000 $21,538
2008 1,000 19,000 $20,000
2009 1,000 19,000 $20,000
2010 1,000 19,000 $20,000
2011 1,000 19,000 $20,000
2012 and beyond 115 133,643 $133,758
Total $5,653 $229,643 $235,296
Source: Department of the Navy.
The Navy's cost estimates for munitions cleanup are based on the remedies
it assumes would be adequate to prevent human exposure. Actual costs could
differ, depending on the outcome of the site investigations and the final
Comprehensive Conservation Plan being developed by the Department of the
Interior.
Agency Comments
We received technical comments from DOD, which we incorporated as
appropriate.
_____________________________
We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense and other
interested parties. We will provide copies of this report to others upon
request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO
Web site at http:/www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions on the information discussed in
this report, please feel free to contact me at (202) 512-4523 or
[email protected] . Contact points for our offices of Congressional
Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report.
Key contributors to this report were Mike Kennedy, Assistant Director;
Susan Ditto; and Karen Kemper.
Sincerely yours,
Brian Lepore
Acting Director, Defense Capabilities and Management
Enclosures - 2
Enclosure I
CERCLA Cleanup Phases and Activities
The CERCLA process generally includes the following phases and activities.
o Preliminary Assessment (PA). Available information is collected
regarding contamination, including a search of historical records,
to confirm whether a potential environmental contamination or
military munitions hazard could be present and to determine
whether further action is needed.
o Site Inspection (SI). This step usually involves a walk around
the site by an environmental engineer and may involve some limited
soil and water sampling, including an analysis to determine the
extent and source(s) of the hazards.
o Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). More rigorous
statistical sampling and analysis is conducted at this phase to
determine the exact nature and extent of the contamination;
determine whether cleanup action is needed; and, if so, select
alternative cleanup approaches. These include removal, limiting
public contact, determining no further action is warranted, or
cleaning of the hazardous media (soil, air, or water) on site.
o Remedial Design/Remedial Action. This phase involves designing
and constructing the actual cleanup remedies, such as a pump and
treat facility for groundwater, or removing munitions.
o Long-term Monitoring. At this phase, parties responsible for the
cleanup periodically review the remedy in place to ensure its
continued effectiveness, including checking for unexploded
ordnance and educating the public.
Enclosure II
Installation Restoration Sites on Vieques
Site Description Status
Navy CERCLA Estimated
proposed no phase-in completion
further progress
action
Western
Vieques
05 Former fuel disposal site X
10 Former waste paint and solvents X
disposal site
14 Former wash rack X
15 Former waste transportation X
vehicle parking area
B Former wastewater treatment X
plant
C Drainage ditch X
F Former septic tank X
K Former water well X
L Abandoned septic tank X
04 Inactive open burn/open RI 1^st quarter
detonation area FY 2008
E Underground waste oil storage RI 3^rd quarter
tank FY 2007
H Former power plant RI 3^rd quarter
FY 2007
I Former asphalt plant RI 3^rd quarter
FY 2007
06 Mangrove disposal site NTCRA 4^th quarter
FY 2007
07 Disposal site NTCRA 4^th quarter
FY 2007
J Former staging area disposal NTCRA 4^th quarter
site FY 2007
R Former operations and staging NTRCA 4^th quarter
area FY 2007
Subtotal 17 9 8
western
Eastern
Vieques
01 Camp Garcia landfill PA/SI 1^st quarter
FY 2008
02 Former fuels off-loading site PA/SI 1^st quarter
FY 2008
04 Former waste areas of building PA/SI 1^st quarter
303 FY 2008
05 Former spent battery PA/SI 1^st quarter
accumulation area FY 2008
06 Former waste oil and paint PA/SI 1^st quarter
accumulation area FY 2008
07 Former waste oil accumulation PA/SI 1^st quarter
area FY 2008
08 Former waste oil accumulation PA/SI 1^st quarter
area FY 2008
10 Former sewage treatment lagoons PA/SI 1^st quarter
FY 2008
12 Former solid waste collection PA/SI 1^st quarter
unit area FY 2008
A Former diesel fuel fill pipe PA/SI 1^st quarter
area FY 2008
F Rock quarry PA/SI 1^st quarter
FY 2008
G Former pump station and PA/SI 1^st quarter
chlorination building FY 2008
8 ground-scarred areas PA/SI 1^st quarter
FY 2008
Subtotal 20 0 20
eastern
Total 37 9 28
Source: Department of the Navy.
Note: NTCRA means non-time-critical removal action.
(350972)
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