Concord Naval Weapons Depot, Port Chicago and Travis AFB

In 1857, the first ammunition magazine was completed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, located 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, near the confluence of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers in Suisun Bay. In 1942, the Navy built an annex to this magazine, located across the Sacramento River from Mare Island. This Annex was later renamed Naval Ammunition Depot, Port Chicago after a nearby town.

Roughly 13,000 acres of land were divided into a Tidal Area (7,600 acres) and an Inland Area (5,200 acres). The Detachment's primary purpose was the loading and unloading of large quantities of weapons and equipment from cargo and pre-positioning ships. During wartime conditions, Detachment Concord has the capability to load 4,500 tons of munitions per day.

Concord NWD was placed on the Federal Superfund List of most contaminated facilities. Contamination included groundwater and surface water contamination, heavy metals, toxic pollution from industrial chemicals and motor pool activities. The open air burning of obsolete ordnance released thousands of tons of toxic materials into the air around the site. Deer, Tule Elk, golden eagles, quail, pheasants, and foxes are just some of the many birds and mammals living at Concord. A large portion of the base has been designated as a wildlife preserve. In addition, much of the acreage has been leased to local farmers for cattle grazing.

The contamination in the Tidal Area Sites, located in wetlands in the eastern portion, comes from past on-base waste disposal practices, including an estimated 3,000 tons of mixed wastes that were deposited in the landfill from the early 1940s to 1979, material and waste generated during the repackaging of conventional munitions, and chipped wood contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP). Investigations identified semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and heavy metals to be the primary contaminants in these sites, but low levels of organochlorine pesticides, such as DDT and its breakdown products, are also present. The contamination in the Litigation Sites, located in the wetlands of the western portion of the Tidal Area, was the result of private industrial activities on portions of property that was subsequently purchased by the Navy to create a buffer zone for the activity at the facility's piers. Soil sampling that took place in 1986 detected metals in these areas. Subsequent testing confirmed this result. Tidal action in the wetlands inundated the sources, carrying contamination to Suisun Bay.

The Tidal Area Sites and Litigation Sites are located in critical habitat for endangered species, such as the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and the California Clapper Rail. Suisun Bay supports extensive sport fishing as well as providing habitat for the endangered fish species, Winter-run Chinook Salmon and Delta Smelt.

Arc Ecology has provided environmental cleanup and restoration technical support to Concord's neighbors. In 2000, we helped residents of the adjoining City of Concord, obtain an extension for public participation around the contents of the Navy-EPA Federal Facilities Agreement. We also aided residents in their efforts to jump start their Community Advisory Committee for the base's cleanup.

Travis Air Force Base Established in 1943, the 5,025-acre Travis Air Force Base serves as Military Air Command Headquarters to the 22nd Air Force, as well as a medical center. The Air Force has identified a number of potentially contaminated areas. These include: three landfills used from 1943 to 1977, one of which (Landfill No. 3) was used for the disposal of crushed and rinsed pesticide containers; areas where combustible wastes were burned for firefighting exercises from 1943 to the mid-1970s; a pit where 250 pounds of cyanide were buried in 1967; a solvent spill area where various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may have been spilled during paint stripping operations; and the storm sewer system, one of the most contaminated portions of the base, where chemical wastes from the various shops were dumped throughout the history of the base. The old decommissioned sewage treatment plant is also of concern because cracked oxidation ponds may have contaminated the groundwater with pesticides and industrial chemicals.

Approximately 27,600 people live within one mile of the site, and 400 people obtain drinking water from wells within three miles of the base. The nearest well lies 3,400 feet from the base. A spill of jet fuel in 1978 killed all aquatic wildlife along two miles of Union Creek. The creek flows one mile to Hill Slough, which is a branch of Suisun Marsh, a major coastal wetland. Because Hill Slough is tidally influenced, any contamination can reach San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Suisun Marsh is widely used for various recreational activities and is a major stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway.