Fort Richardson, constructed in 1940, occupies a 56,000 acre area located in the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. The installation is bounded by the City of Anchorage, Elmendorf Air Force Base (also on the NPL) to the west and south, and by the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet to the northwestern border. The Fort's eastern boundary consist of Chugach State Park and undeveloped lands. In 2010, Fort Richardson was merged with Elmendorf Air Force Base under the Base Realignment and Closure process and is now Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). Five operable units, A-E, have been established for CERCLA remediation activities. During World War II, the Fort’s mission was to defend Alaska against foreign invaders. Its current mission is to command and control Army forces in Alaska and to provide the services, facilities, and infrastructure to support and train rapid deployment forces from Alaska to the Pacific theater. Prior to the formal investigation, three sources of contamination were identified by the Army: the Eagle River Flats (ERF) ordnance impact area; the Poleline Road Disposal Area (PRDA); and the Roosevelt Road Transmitter Site (RRTS). The ERF ordnance area encompasses 2,500 acres of wetlands associated with the Eagle River delta. The wetlands are an important habitat for waterfowl during Spring and Fall migrations. ERF has served as the primary ordnance impact area for Fort Richardson since World War II. PRDA consists of a disposal area used to bury chemical warfare agents, such as mustard gas, in the 1950s. RRTS consists of a bomb-proof underground bunker and the remnants of support facilities. The investigation looked at 17 other sites and the groundwater. In 2005, the Armored Vehicle Maintenance Area was added to the Fort Richardson Federal Facilities Agreement due to persistant organic solvents in groundwater. The Nike Summit Site stored Hercules missiles from 1959 to 1979 to defend the military base and Anchorage from possible Soviet Union attack during the Cold War. This 225 acre site is located on a 3900 ft ridge of the Chugach Mountain Range on the eastern boundry of the base, and was added to the FFA in 2011 due to contamination from chlorinated solvents and heavy metals. New sites are often 'discovered' during construction activites on the base and will be investigated for contamination as needed.
5,659 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$61,031 |
Average Income |
1,005 |
Occupied homes |
No stories have been submitted for this site.
