The Installation Restoration (IR) Program’s objective is to identify, assess and remediate hazardous waste contaminated soil and groundwater resulting from past disposal and storage operations at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) regulations. Additionally, the Munitions Response (MR) Program is also managed by the IR program.
The IR Program actively manages a total of 28 IR sites and 8 MR Sites. The varied sites include old battery and base dumps, former Defense Reutilization and Management Office areas, pesticide storage facilities, dry cleaners, motor vehicle maintenance facilities, a former creosote plant, and former range area. The types of the soil and groundwater contamination include chlorinated solvents, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and acid from batteries, munition constituents, unexploded ordnance, PFAS and heavy metals.
The sites are currently in a variety of stages of remediation under the CERCLA program. Sequentially, the following stages are conducted for each site: Initial Assessment, Site Characterization, Remedial Investigation, Feasibility Study, Active Remediation, or No Further Action. Many remedial technologies are employed that include soil vapor extraction, pump and treat, air sparging, enhanced reductive dechlorination, soil disposal and new technologies are continuously sought after and tested to hasten remediation. Once a remedial technology and plan of action have been agreed upon by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a Record of Decision (ROD) is initiated. As of September 2024, RODs for 29 sites have been signed.
Since 2017, The IR program began investigating new and old sites for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impacts and have initiated 13 remedial investigations and have plans for several more. These are being investigated under the same CERCLA process defined above and below.
In 1999, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, EPA Region IV, and NCDEQ signed a memorandum of agreement that detailed how sites are to be closed and what actions were to be taken if any contamination was to remain on site. This agreement, entitled the Land Use Control Assurance Plan, set requirements for the reuse of IR sites that will ensure that human health and the environment would remain protected. Some of these controls include: restrictions on site access if soil contamination is present or restrictions on the use of contaminated groundwater.
To expedite both study and remediation, an IR Partnering Team was assembled at the beginning of the program. This team is composed of representatives from the Base, EPA Region IV, NCDEQ, NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, and environmental contractors. The team meets on a quarterly basis to discuss current and upcoming actions at the sites. With all the interested parties present for all phases of the planning process, unforeseen obstacles that may arise are identified and handled promptly and appropriately.
The IR Program is responsible for disseminating information on cleanup activities aboard Camp Lejeune. This public meeting forum is accomplished through the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), which meets quarterly. The RAB is composed of representatives from the local community, the Base, State and Federal regulatory agencies. The RAB allows the Base to explain the environmental remediation work ongoing and allows community members to voice their thoughts and concerns.
For more information on the CERCLA Program, please contact the program manager at (910) 451-9641. Additional information can also be obtained from the Navy's Camp Lejeune website http://go.usa.gov/Dy5T