Environmental advisers say Dover cleanup efforts on track

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  • By 436th Civil Engineer Squadron
Dover Air Force Base, Del --  A team of Air Force and consulting scientists reviewing the environmental cleanup program has found that base officials managing environmental cleanup will meet or exceed key milestones.

The accelerated progress made at Dover Air Force Base means base environmental officials have achieved early compliance with the Air Force goal of implementing remedies at all cleanup sites by 2012. The advisers say continuing to focus on solvents used to clean aircraft parts and machinery, and fuels where they pose cleanup challenges, will set the stage for discussions with State of Delaware and Environmental Protection Agency officials to closeout base-wide cleanup efforts.

The Aug. 18 - 22 expert review is part of a unique program sponsored by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment to assist bases by providing an intense, week-long evaluation of cleanup efforts to ensure they are protective, efficient, timely and that decision-makers are informed.

These Environmental Restoration Program-Optimization reviews promote cost-effective cleanups with an emphasis on effectiveness. The ERP-O team of engineers, scientists, regulatory specialists and water experts tour base sites where contamination is being addressed, study reports and perform new analysis of information before briefing regulators, the base and other Air Force environmental officials after five days of careful review. In addition, they collaborate with the 436th Civil Engineer Squadron in discussing recommendations with regulators and can also get out in the field to measure results upon request.

Dover's approach to cleaning up these areas has been effective to date and the ERP-O advisers urged the base to continue to develop Dover's program by taking new steps to evaluate the performance of cleanup technologies. Dover officials are successfully working with cleanup contractors and are well-ahead of broader Air Force goals of cleanup work initiated at all bases by 2012.

"The ERP-O review points the way toward key steps that will improve the performance and management of the Air Force cleanup program, accelerate discussions with state regulators, and foster a collaborative effort to shorten the timeline for site closure," said Russell Rohne, AFCEE Restoration Program Management Office representative.

The ERP-O team recommended that planning now for closeout is warranted, especially as responsibility for the next phases of site cleanup will be assumed by AFCEE in 2009.

Editors note: The article was compiled by JoAnne Deramo, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron; Javier Santillan Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment Technical Directorate Environment; Russell Rohne, AFCEE Project Management Office.