Performance Based Cleanup Initiative

COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION CASE STUDY

Contaminated Soil and Groundwater Remediation by Expedited Interagency Cooperation

Location: Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic Region: Washington, DC

Project Summary: Andrews AFB and state and local agencies use a performance-based strategy to reduce costs and expedite cleanup of contaminated areas on and near the base.

Contractor personnel inject HRC into the ground to enhance the breakdown of carbon tetrachloride

Resource Challenge

In 2004, Andrews AFB was chosen as the site of an Air Force pilot study whose purpose was to re-examine processes and evaluate the results from its Base Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). The goal was to develop and implement a more streamlined, performance based cleanup strategy using innovative management, contracting, and engineering tools, including private sector concepts. The result was the Andrews AFB Environmental Restoration Performance Enhanced Plan (APEP), a strategy driven by speciﬁc goals and objectives set at the beginning.

At the heart of APEP is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments that enhances interagency cooperation, expediting cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater on or adjacent to the base. In 2004, senior agency leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding, committing to cleanups that would protect human health and the environment, restore the installation’s natural resource infrastructure, and support the Andrews AFB mission. Features of the new cleanup program include:

Streamlined investigations using dynamic ﬁeld site characterization tools.
A holistic strategy to manage contaminated groundwater.
Alternative cleanup approaches via Air Force-issued performance based contracts.
Reduced duplication of effort among agencies.
Agreed-upon performance standards in decision documents, where possible.
Current and reasonable future land use scenarios used to set cleanup goals.

Examples of Key Partners

U.S. Air Force: Andrews AFB, Air Mobility Command, USAF Headquarters, Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), and the Prince George’s County Health Department (PGCHD).

Results and Accomplishments

By developing a coordinated cleanup process for every site, the project has reduced cleanup time by 50 percent and total cost by 40 percent. Other results include:

All site cleanup remedies expected to be in place by 2009, ﬁve years earlier than projected.
Restoration costs under the new process estimated to fall by $35 million over the life of the cleanup.
Land at Andrews AFB will be available to support current and future Air Force missions, and/or needs of other federal, state, and local agencies.
EPA’s One Cleanup Program vision and Maryland’s efforts to support economic redevelopment are advanced.
Results-oriented program implements the President’s Management Agenda.

Innovation/Highlight

The first time a road map for the entire cleanup and restoration process has been established at the beginning.

Project Contact

Mr. Rick Grills

Maryland Dept. of the Environment

410-537-3398
rgrills@mde.state.md.us

Mr. Brian J. Dolan
Chief, Restoration Branch
Andrews AFB, MD

301-981-7121
brian.dolan@andrews.af.mil

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