Description
In 1942, Atlantic City NAS, located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Congressional District NJ-2, was constructed on 2,444 acres of leased private land. The mission of the air station was to train various air groups consisting of fighter, bomber, and torpedo squadrons and their crews for combat. In August 1943, Atlantic City NAS changed to only fighter training consisting of high and low altitude gunnery tactics; field carrier landings; arrested landings; catapult launchings; dive, glide, and live bombing; formation tactics; rocket work; fighter direction; night operations; and a complementary ground school.
The Atlantic City NAS was transferred from the Navy to the Airways Modernization Board (AMB) in June 1958. In November 1958, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took over operations of the AMB. The FAA expanded the former Naval land parcel to approximately 5,000 acres with a primary mission of responding and contributing to FAA research and development programs; testing and evaluating aviation concepts, procedures, and equipment; and assisting other departments of the agency with research, development, and implementation. The current FAA parcel, known as the William J. Hughes Technical Center, accommodates air traffic, airway facilities, systems research and development, flight inspection personnel of the FAA, an office of the National Weather Service, the 177th Fighter-Interceptor Group of the New Jersey Air National Guard (NJANG), and serves as the Atlantic City International Airport. In addition, the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) leases portions of the facility from the FAA.
Authorization/Project Description
The former Atlantic City NAS is being investigated under the Defense Environmental Restoration - Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) Program. That program was authorized by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986.
On August 30, 1990, the FAA Technical Center (portions of which were the former Atlantic City NAS) was placed on the Superfund National Priorities list. Since then, the FAA initiated environmental investigations at the site. Based on the findings of these studies, an additional FUDS project was approved in February 2006, mainly to address the issue of mercury found in sediments in watersheds that feed the Atlantic City reservoir. Further work addressing this area will be undertaken by the Corps, subject to the availability of funds. Previously, a FUDS project was approved to evaluate ordnance issues at the site, under the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP).
Status (As of January 2012)
The Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) addresses ordnance concerns at FUDS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted an MMRP site inspection (SI) in 2007, which addressed the following areas: Chemical Warfare Storage Hut (Bldg. 32), the Chemical Magazine (Bldg. 72), Naval Burial Pits 1 & 2, a skeet range (known as “Skeet Range-Double”), Burial Area B and Area W (a 1.5 acre parcel off English Creek Road). Although a broken glass tube was previously discovered at Area W, that had dimensions consistent with a chemical agent identification set (CAIS), digging at Area W during the SI did not evidence any materiel associated with CAIS, and it was further concluded that chemical warfare materiel (CWM) does not remain at the former Atlantic City NAS. The SI report recommended that further MMRP remedial investigation (RI) should be undertaken at the “Skeet Range Double” and Burial Area B; the RI would focus on the nature and extent of munitions constituents that may be present at those areas. The RI will be planned, as recommended, subject to availability of funds. An SI of another skeet range was conducted in 2011; the inspection evidenced remaining impacts to the soils that will require further investigation upon availability of funds. The report was made available to the public in July 2012.
At Area U, mercury has been identified in surface water and sediments. A remedial investigation (RI) is currently underway at the site’s Area U watershed, which flows into the Atlantic City upper and lower reservoirs. Supplemental investigation fieldwork (which included focused shallow groundwater, seep, surface water and soil sampling at the Upper South Branch of the Absecon Creek) was completed in December 2010; analysis results are being incorporated into the report, to be released in Spring 2013; any further actions necessary will be evaluated in a feasibility study (FS). An FS will be completed by December 2013.
The Army Corps performed additional sampling at Area W in February 2011, to evaluate if any hazards (other than munitions related) remain at the 1.5 acre parcel, where there was previous evidence of solid waste burial (i.e., Navy dinnerware). Both soils and groundwater were to be sampled and analyzed. No further actions are expected, and a report of findings was issued in August 2012, which concluded that no further action was necessary at Area W.
Project Cost
MMRP Site Inspections/Investigations $2,180,000
Other Environmental Site Inspections/Investigations $3,550,000
Total $5,730,000
Contact
Gregory J. Goepfert, New York District Project Manager
917-790-8235
Gregory.J.Goepfert@usace.army.mil