MARYLAND ROUTE 175
Fort George G. Meade (FGGM) has been a permanent U.S. Army installation since 1917, and once occupied approximately 13,500 acres of land in northwestern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, along the Little Patuxent and Patuxent Rivers, midway between Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. The community of Odenton, Maryland borders the eastern edge of FGGM. FGGM's current mission is to provide a wide range of support to 114 tenant organizations from all four services, as well as several federal agencies. Major tenants include the National Security Agency, the Defense Information School and the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. The population of FGGM includes approximately 8,000 military personnel, 25,000 civilian employees and 5,700 family members of military personnel. EPA proposed FGGM to the NPL after evaluation of contamination due to past storage and disposal of hazardous substances. Contaminants at the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office ('DRMO'), Closed Sanitary Landfill ('CSL'), Clean Fill Dump ('CFD') and Post Laundry Facility ('PLF') included solvents, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls ('PCBs'), heavy metals, waste fuels and waste oils. The NPL site includes all areas of hazardous substance contamination on, and possibly off base if FGGM was the source, and includes the both Base Realignment and Closure Act ('BRAC') and non-BRAC portions of FGGM. The Federal Register public comment period for the FGGM proposed inclusion to the NPL concluded on June 2, 1997, and EPA placed FGGM on the NPL on July 28, 1998. In 1988, BRAC identified 8,848 acres of FGGM for closure: to date, 8,100 BRAC acres have been transferred to the Department of Interior's Patuxent National Research Refuge (PNRR) for use as a wildlife refuge: 7,600 acres in October, 1991, and 500 acres in January, 1993 as part of Defense Appropriation Bills for 1991 and 1992, respectively. Currently there are 2 operable units identified on the DOI property the CFD and the Ordnance Demolition Area (ODA). The CFD ROD was signed in September 2000. Review and comment on the ODA's Proposed Plan and ROD will resume when EPA and the army resolve the DOI NPL listing issue. The Army has retained ownership of the CSL, which encompasses approximately 308 acres of former BRAC property. 366 acres of BRAC property included the former Tipton Airfield transferred to Anne Arundel County for use as a General Aviation Facility. The contaminants of concern include numerous solvents and heavy metals, explosives, arsenic and PCBs. Elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, pesticides and explosive compounds have been detected in aquifers. Low levels of volatile organic compounds, including tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethlylene, and pesticides have been detected in residential wells located in Odenton, MD. Based on information available to the EPA, most drinking water sources are not affected by the contamination. In addition, munitions have been found throughout the former range training areas of the base, including portions of the Little Patuxent River. People who drink water containing PCE and TCE may develop liver problems and have an increased risk of getting cancer. Exposure to PCBs may cause skin rashes, immune system problems, and a potential for increased cancer risk. The Army has been working to address wastes at the site since 1998 when the Fort Meade installation was designated as a Superfund site. The Federal Facility Agreement ensures that the work proceeds under appropriate EPA oversight.
5,810 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$104,954 |
Average Income |
2,452 |
Occupied homes |
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