The Fort McClellan citizen advisory group questioned Army contractors and fort cleanup team leaders about risk evaulations and leaky landfills during a Monday night meeting at the former fort. The Army hosted two lengthy presentations on human health and ecological risk assessments during the two-hour meeting.
Members of the fort’s Restoration Advisory Board, the volunteer group that monitors the Army cleanup, asked the officials about potential gaps in the risk evaluation process and whether upcoming Army decisions would provide adequate remedy for a wide range of potential future problems, especially regarding the contaminated landfills.
The Army recently recommended “no further action” other than capping and restricting land use for the 10 landfills, although Landfill 3 — the most-contaminated landfill — is being addressed in a separate remedial investigation of volatile organic chemical plumes in the groundwater.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the Environmental Protection Agency are now asking the Army to conduct a more detailed landfill investigation, as well.
Public comments on the Army’s landfill recommendations are due on Aug. 19.
RAB member Scott Beckett asked if the results of ongoing groundwater investigation could cause the Army to “reevaluate” its landfill decisions.
Joint Powers Authority Planning Director Miki Schneider asked, “Can’t you take (the contamination) out?” She asked if pumping and treating the pollution is an option.
Weaver Mayor Ed Kimbrough asked why the groundwater investigation is being conducted separately from the recently-completed landfill investigation.
“How can you make the recommendation of capping … without full understanding of the groundwater?” he asked.
Levy said the decision to separate the landfill and groundwater investigations was made several years ago by the Fort’s Base Cleanup Team — made of up the Army, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Recently, the JPA’s Schneider was also appointed to the cleanup team.
The Army’s Levy said “at this point, we don’t know … the extent of the contamination.”
He said that “removing (landfill) material doesn’t take care of the groundwater issue.”
Army cleanup team coordinator Ron Levy noted that there is “some conflict” regarding the landfills.
Army officials told the RAB that they had entered the now-controversial investigation intending to follow the traditional practice of capping military landfills. Now, that remedy is under examination by the JPA, which prefers that the landfills be removed or consolidated.
Army remedial manager Glynn Ryan noted that the Army has no presumptions on how to address the groundwater contamination. “I can’t tell you what the (remedy) would be at this time,” he said.
