Hazardous Waste Cleanup: United States Army Garrison in Fort Belvoir, Virginia
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
In September 2004, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) issued U.S. Army Garrison, Ft. Belvoir, Main Post (Main Post) a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Permit. The Permit required the Army to conduct RCRA Facility Investigations (RFIs) for possible releases of hazardous waste/constituents at any Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and Areas of Concern (AOC) identified on the Main Post. Over 200 SWMUs and AOCs were identified on the Main Post.
Cleanup Status
SWMUs and AOCs include inactive landfills, storage areas, wastewater treatment plants and other areas of past contaminant releases. Ft. Belvoir closed many SWMUs under VDEQ oversight prior to the 2004 VDEQ Permit. EPA reviewed the data and concurred with the closures, thereby removing 130 SWMUs and other units from the list of units for further investigation. Currently, Ft. Belvoir has addressed almost all of the remaining SWMUs and AOCs by investigating soil, groundwater and landfill gas, delineating extent and types of contamination, if any, or finding that no further action or remediation is necessary.
In August 2015, VDEQ renewed the RCRA Permit which includes only 15 SWMUs needing further investigation. Investigations will continue under VDEQ oversight.
Site Description
Interactive Map of the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir, Fort Belvoir, VA
View larger mapThe U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Belvoir is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, 14 miles south of Washington, D.C. The Main Post at Fort Belvoir is an 8,437-acre tract bordered by the Potomac River to the south and commercial and residential properties on all other sides. The Main Post is divided into North and South Posts by US Route 1. The Main Post is currently a RCRA permitted facility for hazardous waste storage and Corrective Action. The current Permit was issued to the Main Post by VADEQ in 2015.
Fort Belvoir, Main Post is a U.S. Department of Defense operated installation that provides essential administrative and basic operations to support and services to 90 tenants and satellite organizations.
Contaminants at this Facility
Contaminants have been found in specific Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) in soil, groundwater and in one or two locations, sediment. Groundwater contamination is the primary media affected by previous chemical releases. Contaminants found in groundwater are primarily petroleum compounds and chlorinated solvents. Contamination to soil includes petroleum compounds, solvents, and metals. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) in soil were found in a few SWMUs. Soil with contamination exceeding EPA’s acceptable risk to human health has been excavated and removed and contaminated groundwater in limited areas is under active treatment. Human exposure to any remaining contamination is monitored and controlled by implementing Institutional Controls.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The Main Post is using Land Use Controls (LUCs) to prevent human exposures to any remaining contamination in soil, groundwater, landfills and other structures at the Facility. LUCs restrict current and future land use to non-residential, prohibit use of groundwater as a drinking water source, and monitoring of landfill gases and covers. The LUCs are incorporated into the Facility's Master Plan and geographical information system (GIS) layers. Ft. Belvoir reports to VDEQ and US EPA annually on LUC implementation.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility is under continued use.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from the VADEQ .