March Air Force Base
March Air Reserve Base is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's Fourth Air Force Headquarters. March ARB is also home to units from the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, California Air National Guard and the California Army National Guard. For almost 50 years, March AFB was a Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War. The facility covers 2,075 acres of land.
March AFB tested 4 public drinking water wells and found one above the 70 ppt Lifetime Health Advisory (LHA) of 70 ppt. The base also tested 4 private wells and found 2 to be above the LHA. Results ranged from 70 ppt to 168 ppt.
The base "supplied two (2) residences with bottled water while working connection to municipal water service. Public DW well shut off and AF reimbursing for the incremental cost increase of purchasing replacement water. Complete Cooperative Agreement with DW purveyor to fund treatment for impacted municipal DW well."
PFOS + PFOA were found in concentrations of 43,390 ppt. in well tests at March AFB. (See Attachment A-1
https://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/regulators/deliverable_documents/1415889918/Final%20March%20ARB%20ISWP%20Addendum%2001.pdf
The Air Force reported, “Completed basewide preliminary assessment and completed the site inspection at the Fire Training Area. Received regulatory concurrence on the findings. Initiated Site Inspections of other AFFF areas identified in Preliminary Assessment. Complete Site Inspection including determination. Perform delineation of PFOS/PFOA in groundwater along the pathways to drinking water identified receptors.”
Source: Addressing Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Maureen Sullivan Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Environment, Safety & Occupational Health) March 2018
https://partner-mco-archive.s3.amazonaws.com/client_files/1524589484.pdf
See the FINAL ADDENDUM 01 TO THE SITE INSPECTION REPORT MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA Site Inspection of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) Release Areas Environmental Programs Worldwide
The Air Force has redacted information regarding contaminated wells adjacent to March Air Force Base in Riverside County, California.
Read about the Mendez family in this LA Times story. "In 2016, after the EPA set its health advisory, officials abruptly told the Mendezes and another family nearby to stop drinking the water.
“We thought we had nice, clean water,” Mendez said.
At that point, the Air Force “immediately contacted the two private well owners, provided them with bottled water and advised them not to use the well for any consumption purposes,” Air Force spokesman Mark Kinkade said.
The Air Force delivered free five-gallon jugs of water to the Mendez home for more than two years. In 2018, it paid to have the house connected to the municipal water system. Ruben Mendez said he now pays $100 a month for water he used to get for free."
March Air Force Base Superfund Site
The 7,123-acre March Air Force Base (AFB) has been used for aircraft maintenance and repair, refueling operations, and training activities since 1918. Facility operations contaminated groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Three zones of groundwater contamination beneath the base were identified and wells on base were shut down in the late 1980s. Groundwater contamination has migrated to wells located off base. However, a groundwater containment system has been installed to prevent off-site groundwater migration. These wells are no longer in use. The site’s long-term cleanup is ongoing.
Potential health threats may exist for individuals who accidentally ingest contaminated soils and groundwater. The drinking water wells at March AFB were closed in the late 1980s, and the base now gets its drinking water from the Eastern Municipal Water District.
View a full list of contaminants of concern for this site.
Want to know more? https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902761
The 7,123-acre March Air Force Base (AFB) has been used for aircraft maintenance and repair, refueling operations, and training activities since 1918. Facility operations contaminated groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Three zones of groundwater contamination beneath the base were identified and wells on base were shut down in the late 1980s. Groundwater contamination has migrated to wells located off base. However, a groundwater containment system has been installed to prevent off-site groundwater migration. These wells are no longer in use. The site’s long-term cleanup is ongoing.
Potential health threats may exist for individuals who accidentally ingest contaminated soils and groundwater. The drinking water wells at March AFB were closed in the late 1980s, and the base now gets its drinking water from the Eastern Municipal Water District.
View a full list of contaminants of concern for this site.
Want to know more? https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902761
March AFB is included in the report “Bases and Facilities with Significant Historical U.S. Nuclear Weapons or Naval Nuclear Propulsion Missions - 2002” Radioactive
Compiled by Stephen I. Schwartz, 2002
https://www.brookings.edu/bombs-in-the-backyard/
March AFB - Source - DOD
CONTAMINATED AREAS
Groundwater contamination at the site is confirmed and migration within the groundwater has been verified through sampling down-gradient wells.
Leaching of contaminants from soil to groundwater is a potential contaminant pathway. Three contaminated GW plumes (Sites 2, 27 and 36) are associated with this site. No drinking water sources have been contaminated. However, all California aquifers are classified as potential drinking water sources dictating selection of Potential.
Groundwater Contaminants:
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene 440.0 ug/L
1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1300.0 ug/L
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene 5000.0 ug/L
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 350.0 ug/L
Benzene 1200.0 ug/L
Carbon tetrachloride 90.0 ug/L
Chlorobenzene 220.0 ug/L
Chloroform 111.0 ug/L
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene 3800.0 ug/L
Ethyl benzene 200.0 ug/L
Naphthalene 470.0 ug/L
Tetrachloroethylene 510.0 ug/L
Tetrachloroethylene 5.4 ug/L
Toluene 340.0 ug/L
Trichloroethylene (TCE) 6100.0 ug/L
Xylene (Mixed) 2500.0 ug/L
Future onsite residents have been identified as being at risk, but not exceeding EPA established benchmarks, through dermal contact with groundwater. California classifies all groundwater aquifers as Class IIB potential drinking water sources. This prompts the requirement to select potential RF
Soil Contaminants:
1,1,1-Trichloroethane 0.0291 mg/kg
1,1-Dichloroethane 0.0105 mg/kg
Benzo(a)Pyrene 9.5e-05 mg/kg
Benzo(b)Fluoranthene 9.4e-05 mg/kg
Benzo(k)Fluoranthene 5.1e-05 mg/kg
Chlordane 1.0e-08 mg/kg
Chlordane 4.0e-06 mg/kg
Chrysene 0.00014 mg/kg
Copper and compounds 0.0176 mg/kg
DDD 1.0e-08 mg/kg
DDD 0.00051 mg/kg
DDE 1.0e-08 mg/kg
DDE 0.00085 mg/kg
DDT 5.0e-08 mg/kg
DDT 0.000135 mg/kg
Fluoranthene 0.00012 mg/kg
Indeno(1,2,3-cd)Pyrene 6.0e-08 mg/kg
Lead 0.256 mg/kg
Manganese and compounds 0.462 mg/kg
Methyl Chloride 3.7e-05 mg/kg
Molybdenum 0.00897 mg/kg
Pyrene 0.0001 mg/kg
Selenium 0.0006 mg/kg
Silver and compounds 0.00267 mg/kg
Tetrachloroethylene 0.0133 mg/kg
Trichloroethylene (TCE) 0.0001 mg/kg
Vanadium 0.0497 mg/kg
Zinc 0.0973 mg/kg
This site is under ongoing monitoring until Sep 2099
CONTAMINATED AREAS
Groundwater contamination at the site is confirmed and migration within the groundwater has been verified through sampling down-gradient wells.
Leaching of contaminants from soil to groundwater is a potential contaminant pathway. Three contaminated GW plumes (Sites 2, 27 and 36) are associated with this site. No drinking water sources have been contaminated. However, all California aquifers are classified as potential drinking water sources dictating selection of Potential.
Groundwater Contaminants:
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene 440.0 ug/L
1,2-Dichlorobenzene 1300.0 ug/L
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene 5000.0 ug/L
1,4-Dichlorobenzene 350.0 ug/L
Benzene 1200.0 ug/L
Carbon tetrachloride 90.0 ug/L
Chlorobenzene 220.0 ug/L
Chloroform 111.0 ug/L
cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene 3800.0 ug/L
Ethyl benzene 200.0 ug/L
Naphthalene 470.0 ug/L
Tetrachloroethylene 510.0 ug/L
Tetrachloroethylene 5.4 ug/L
Toluene 340.0 ug/L
Trichloroethylene (TCE) 6100.0 ug/L
Xylene (Mixed) 2500.0 ug/L
Future onsite residents have been identified as being at risk, but not exceeding EPA established benchmarks, through dermal contact with groundwater. California classifies all groundwater aquifers as Class IIB potential drinking water sources. This prompts the requirement to select potential RF
Soil Contaminants:
1,1,1-Trichloroethane 0.0291 mg/kg
1,1-Dichloroethane 0.0105 mg/kg
Benzo(a)Pyrene 9.5e-05 mg/kg
Benzo(b)Fluoranthene 9.4e-05 mg/kg
Benzo(k)Fluoranthene 5.1e-05 mg/kg
Chlordane 1.0e-08 mg/kg
Chlordane 4.0e-06 mg/kg
Chrysene 0.00014 mg/kg
Copper and compounds 0.0176 mg/kg
DDD 1.0e-08 mg/kg
DDD 0.00051 mg/kg
DDE 1.0e-08 mg/kg
DDE 0.00085 mg/kg
DDT 5.0e-08 mg/kg
DDT 0.000135 mg/kg
Fluoranthene 0.00012 mg/kg
Indeno(1,2,3-cd)Pyrene 6.0e-08 mg/kg
Lead 0.256 mg/kg
Manganese and compounds 0.462 mg/kg
Methyl Chloride 3.7e-05 mg/kg
Molybdenum 0.00897 mg/kg
Pyrene 0.0001 mg/kg
Selenium 0.0006 mg/kg
Silver and compounds 0.00267 mg/kg
Tetrachloroethylene 0.0133 mg/kg
Trichloroethylene (TCE) 0.0001 mg/kg
Vanadium 0.0497 mg/kg
Zinc 0.0973 mg/kg
This site is under ongoing monitoring until Sep 2099
Western Municipal Water District Serves: 50,823 Data available: 2012—2017
https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3310049
Source: Purchased surface water Contaminants Detected 6 EXCEED EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
17 Total Contaminants
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the California State Water Resources Control Board, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3310049
Source: Purchased surface water Contaminants Detected 6 EXCEED EWG HEALTH GUIDELINES
17 Total Contaminants
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the California State Water Resources Control Board, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
The California Water Board did not test the water of the Western Municipal District for PFOS/PFOA in 2019.
DoD's Installation Restoration Program (IRP) Sites that have not Achieved Response Complete (RC) January 2018
https://www.denix.osd.mil/derp/home/documents/installation-restoration-program-report-to-congress-january-2018/
Key: DERA - Defense Environmental Restoration Account funds
BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure
Air Force California MARCH DERA CG049 OPERABLE UNIT (OU5) 211610 81,899 100
WESTERN OU1 PFC
Air Force California MARCH BRAC CG403 GROUNDWATER PLUME 208309 7,712 67
Air Force California MARCH BRAC FT007 FIRE PROTECTION AREA 208309 44,099 67
Air Force California MARCH DERA OT018 ENGINE TEST CELL 202909 2,550 13
Air Force California MARCH DERA SS031 SOLV DISPOSAL SITE 201901 0 2
PANERO AIRCRAFT FUELING
Air Force California MARCH DERA ST033 SYS 202912 2,559 13
PRITCHARD ACFT FUELING
Air Force California MARCH DERA ST034 SYS 201901 166 2
https://www.denix.osd.mil/derp/home/documents/installation-restoration-program-report-to-congress-january-2018/
Key: DERA - Defense Environmental Restoration Account funds
BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure
Air Force California MARCH DERA CG049 OPERABLE UNIT (OU5) 211610 81,899 100
WESTERN OU1 PFC
Air Force California MARCH BRAC CG403 GROUNDWATER PLUME 208309 7,712 67
Air Force California MARCH BRAC FT007 FIRE PROTECTION AREA 208309 44,099 67
Air Force California MARCH DERA OT018 ENGINE TEST CELL 202909 2,550 13
Air Force California MARCH DERA SS031 SOLV DISPOSAL SITE 201901 0 2
PANERO AIRCRAFT FUELING
Air Force California MARCH DERA ST033 SYS 202912 2,559 13
PRITCHARD ACFT FUELING
Air Force California MARCH DERA ST034 SYS 201901 166 2
92508 92518 92553 92551 92570 92571 Riverside Woodcrest Mead Valley