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Environmental advisers say Fairchild cleanup efforts on track

  • Published
  • By Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --   A team of Air Force and consulting private sector scientists reviewing the environmental cleanup program has found that base officials managing environmental cleanup will meet or exceed key milestones. The accelerated progress made at Fairchild means base environmental officials are on track for early compliance with the Air Force goal of implementing "Remedy-in-Place" at all bases by 2012. The advisers say adjusting cleanup technologies at one landfill will improve cleanup, cut costs and set the stage for negotiations with State of Washington and federal officials to "closeout" base-wide cleanup efforts.

The Sept. 8-12 expert review was part of a unique program sponsored by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment to assist bases by providing an intense, week-long evaluation of cleanup efforts to ensure they are protective, efficient, and timely, and that decision-makers are informed. This Environmental Restoration Program Optimization review was sought out by Fairchild base Remedial Program Manager Marc Connally to accelerate the closure of sites that are poised to enter the final stages of environmental cleanup.

ERP-Os have led to the closure of 45 specific polluted sites on Air Force bases in the last two years and have sped up the pace of closures by a minimum of five years across the board. The reviews promote cost-effective cleanups with an emphasis on effectiveness. Recognizing the technical expertise that ERP-O offers, Marc Connally and his staff requested the visit to ensure cleanups are protective and promote a range of other health, community, administrative and pollution-reduction benefits.

The ERP-O team of engineers, scientists, regulatory specialists and water experts tour base sites where contamination is being addressed, study reports and perform new analysis of information before briefing regulators, the base and other Air Force environmental officials after five days of careful review. In addition, they collaborate with base official Marc Connally and his staff in discussing the recommendations with regulators and can also get out in the field to measure results upon request.

The ERP-O team evaluating Fairchild recommended some adjustments to the cleanup strategy at a landfill on site that are expected to result in approximately $15 million in savings over time. They urged careful tracking of the performance of pollutant removal systems and suggested turning off some groundwater contaminant removal technologies. In addition, updating the information in depictions of the geology, soil and underground movement of water, called Conceptual Site Models, would advance the cleanup process, the ERP-O experts found.

The community board that base cleanup officials interact with is a model for the Air Force because it addresses both Fairchild and Washington Air National Guard issues, according to the team. In addition, the base was encouraged to examine water conservation options over time as sustainable water supplies might become an issue over the next 30-50 years.

The base's approach to cleaning up most areas has been effective to date and the ERP-O advisers urged the base to continue to develop the program by setting decision criteria to ensure cleanup technologies are performing efficiently. Continuing to work with Washington officials on the possibility of indoor air pollution is also important, the advisers said.

Fairchild officials are successfully working with cleanup contractors and are well-ahead of broader Air Force goals of having cleanups in place at all bases by 2012. As their work approaches finalization, the Fairchild environmental team can now begin planning for the future by preparing "exit strategies" which are plans to closeout cleanup efforts.

According to AFCEE Restoration Program Management Office representative Rafael Vazquez, "The ERP-O review points the way toward key steps that will improve the efficiency and management of the Air Force cleanup program, accelerate discussions with state and federal regulators, and foster a collaborative effort to meet program goals."

The ERP-O team recommended that planning now for closeout is warranted, especially as responsibility for the next phases of site cleanup will be assumed by AFCEE in 2009. Other ERP-O visits are being planned in 2008 for bases in Alaska, Ohio, Utah and many other areas, including some overseas locations. For more information on ERP-O programs, see the program description on the AFCEE web site: http://www.afcee.af.mil/resources/restoration/rpo/index.asp