PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD COMPLEX WASHINGTON EPA ID# WA2170023418

EPA Region 10 Kitsap County Bremerton 6th Congressional District Other Names: CHEMICAL DISPOSAL PIT, MOORING A, PCB STORAGE-PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD, PUGET SOUND NAVAL SHIPYARD COMPLEX

Last Update: May, 2010

Site Description

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex site is located in Bremerton, along the Sinclair Inlet on Puget Sound, about 15 miles west of Seattle, Washington. The Navy has owned and operated facilities at this location since 1891. The complex covers about 350 acres of land and an additional 340 acres of tidelands along 11,000 feet of shoreline. Over 12,000 people are employed at the complex. The complex contains over 300 buildings and structures, six deep water piers, six dry docks, and numerous moorings. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) is responsible for overhaul, maintenance, docking and decommissioning of ships. These activities generate large amounts of hazardous waste. The majority of the site is industrial and covered by pavement and buildings. Sinclair Inlet provides a habitat for a variety of marine life and is used for commercial fishing and recreational activities.

Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through federal actions.

NPL Listing History	Dates
Proposed Date:	05/10/1993
Removed Date:
Withdrawal Date:
Final Date:	05/31/1994
Deleted Date:

Threats and Contaminants

Media Affected: Groundwater, Soil, Sludges & Sediments
Petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, semi-volatile organic compounds (semi-VOCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been identified in soil and sediments at a number of areas throughout the complex. Groundwater is contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and, in some locations, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Groundwater flows into Sinclair Inlet and is not currently used for drinking water. The primary hazards posed by the site are to tribal fisherman, marine life and recreational users of Sinclair Inlet. People also may be exposed to the contaminated soils and groundwater during on-site construction activity.


Cleanup Progress

The site was divided into three project areas for investigation:

Operable Unit NSC: The Record of Decision (ROD) for this area was signed in December, 1996. It is a 28-acre site. The selected remedy includes upgrading and maintaining the landfill cap, cleaning the storm drains, implementing institutional controls, and developing excavation management plans. All necessary construction work has been completed.

Operable Unit-A: The ROD was signed in January, 1997. This unit encompasses the 12-acre site at the western boundary of the shipyard. The selected remedy includes capping of the unpaved areas, upgrading the rip-rap barrier along Sinclair Inlet, implementing institutional controls, monitoring groundwater, and enhancing habitat. All necessary construction work has been completed.

Operable Unit-B: This operable unit was divided into OUB Marine and OUB Terrestrial. An Early Action ROD for the marine portion of OUB was signed on June 13, 2000. The selected remedy includes dredging of contaminated sediments with on-site disposal in a large underwater Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) pit, thick and thin-layer capping, and natural recovery. The contaminated sediment cleanup was designed to coincide with the Navy's planned navigational dredging project which began in June, 2000. All of the required construction, dredging and capping activities were completed in February, 2001. A final cap for the sediments disposal pit was completed in the October, 2001. Additional contamination associated with disposal of sediments in the CAD pit was discovered and additional thin-layer capping was necessary. This work was completed in March of 2004. The Navy conducted the first round of sampling for its long-term monitoring plan in the fall of 2003. Subsequent sampling took place in June 2005 and June 2007. The trend analysis indicates that PCB sediment and fish tissue contamination levels are decreasing.

The ROD for OUB Terrestrial was signed in March 2004. The selected remedies include shoreline stabilization, paving and capping, stormwater facility restoration, and institutional controls. By the end of 2006, the Navy completed the shoreline stabilization and paving work as well as the assessment, repair and replacement work in the storm drain system.

Operable Unit D (OUD) was created to facilitate the transfer of a portion of Navy property to the City of Bremerton for use as a city park. Even though this parcel was originally part of OUB Terrestrial, the Navy did additional investigation work to determine the nature and extent of contamination and select a remedy prior to transfer. The selected remedy included a vegetative cap and institutional controls. Most of the property was transferred in January, 2006, and a small parcel was transferred in 2007. The Navy completed the required remedial actions, and the City of Bremerton completed and opened the park in May, 2007.

All construction work required by each ROD has been completed. Therefore, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, also known as the Bremerton Naval Complex, officially achieved the construction completion milestone in August, 2007. The cleanup goals for OU B Marine have not yet been achieved. The second Five Year Review was completed in October 2007.




Regional Contacts

SITE MANAGER(S):	Nancy Harney
E-MAIL ADDRESS:	harney.nancy@epa.gov
PHONE NUMBER:	206-553-6635
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COORDINATOR:
E-MAIL ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER:

Information pertaining to this site is housed at the following location(s):
Engineering Field Activity Northwest (Administrative Record)
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
19917 7th Avenue NE
Poulsbo, Washington 98370-7570
(360) 396-0002

Kitsap Regional Library (Selected Documents)
1301 Sylvan Way
Bremerton, WA

Downtown Branch Library (Selected Documents)
612 5th Street
Bremerton, WA

Silverdale Branch Library (Selected Documents)
3450 NW Carlton Street
Silverdale, WA