Griffiss Air Force Base (11 Areas) Rome NY

The Griffiss Air Force Base (AFB) site is located in Rome, New York. The 3,552-acre base began operations in 1943 under the Air Combat Command and served as home to various Air Force operations over the years. On July 1, 1970, the 416th Bombardment Wing of the Strategic Air Command was activated with the mission of maintenance and implementation of both effective air refueling operations and long-range bombardment capability, but in 1993 and 1995, Griffiss AFB was designated for realignment under the Base Realignment and Closure Act which resulted in the deactivation of the 416th Bombardment Wing in September 1995.

Pursuant to Section 105 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. §9605,Griffiss AFB was included on the National Priorities List (NPL) on July 15,1987.

According to the EPA:

During the 50 years of operation, hazardous wastes were generated from various activities including: aircraft operation; testing and maintenance; firefighting exercises; discharge of munitions; landfill operations; and research and development activities. Over the years, these wastes were disposed of in landfills and dry wells located across the base which led to investigations into contamination that could pose threats to public health and the environment.

According to the ATSDR Public Health Assessment:

Past waste disposal and storage practices at the base have resulted in environmental contamination at multiple sites. In 1981, the Air Force initiated its Installation Restoration Program (IRP) to identify, investigate, and cleanup hazardous waste contamination from past operations and activities at federal facilities.

Through the IRP program, 54 potentially contaminated sites on base have been identified. Of the 54 sites, 31 are designated as Areas of Concern (AOC) and are being investigated and remediated under the Federal Facilities Agreement between the Air Force, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The other 23 sites are either being investigated (e.g.,confirmatory sampling), have had or will have a removal action, or have been determined to require no further action.

With regards to contamination, Soil Vapor Intrusion has also been an issue on site.

Sources of Contamination:

• Discharge to sewer/surface water
• Dumping – unauthorized
• Explosive disposal/detonation
• Inadvertent spill
• Landfill
• Other
• Storage – drums/containers of waste
• Storage – finished product
• Storage – raw material
• Waste pile
• Waste tank – above ground
• Waste tank – below ground

Chart of Contaminants and Locations:

What’s Being Done, According to the EPA:

In the late 1980’s, residents in the Town of Floyd became concerned when contamination was discovered in a number of private groundwater wells located in the town. In 1990, as an interim action prior to determining the actual source of the contamination, the Air Force began providing bottled water to affected residents, and provided funds to the community for the construction of an extension of the municipal water supply. Hook-ups to the water supply extension were available by late 1991, and most residents believed to have been affected by the contamination took advantage of this new water supply. The provision of safe drinking water eliminated any potential for exposure to hazardous substances from groundwater in this area. An EPA-funded program to provide sampling and testing of residential wells over a wider area determined that off-base contamination was not more extensive than previously found in Floyd. This monitoring program was conducted jointly by the EPA and NYS Department of Health (NYDOH) to determine if off-base well contamination extended beyond the Floyd area. Results of a one and one-half year test program were negative, and indicated that the contamination was limited. Supplemental investigations of groundwater at the former Griffiss AFB have shown that contamination has not migrated off-base.

Since the early 1990’s, on-base groundwater contaminant plumes have been addressed by groundwater extraction and treatment systems, several of which are still in operation. Some smaller plumes have already been remediated. Contamination at all source areas at the base has been cleaned up by the Air Force. The base landfills have been capped and groundwater monitoring at the landfills has been conducted since the 1990’s. Access to sites at the base where cleanup has not yet been fully completed is restricted via fencing, signage, and gates. All other areas of known contamination have been addressed via land use controls / institutional controls (LUC/ICs) contained in Records of Decision (RODs), and property transfer documents. All areas of groundwater contamination undergo periodic sampling, and extraction of groundwater at these areas is prohibited through the use of LUC/ICs incorporated into property transfer documents and all deeds for transfer. Additional restrictions on land use, such as restriction to non-residential uses, and restrictions that address soil vapor intrusion (SVI), have also been incorporated into the applicable RODs and property deeds. A cleanup remedy to address SVI at 3 buildings affected by the groundwater contaminant plumes is currently being finalized, and will be presented to the public in the near future.

Additional Relevant Links:

• EPA Superfund Page for Contaminants at Griffiss
• CDC/ATSDR Public Health Assessment for Griffiss

EPA Site Information:

• NPL Fact Sheet
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Public Health Assessment
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Public Health Assessment
• NPL Site 5 Year Reviews
• Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) Hazardous Waste Site Information
• Superfund Hazardous Waste Site Advanced Query Form

Map:

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