Is there any contamination left over from the Hamilton Army Airfield?
In 2001, the Army undertook several cleanup actions and investigations to meet its obligations under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act before the property could be transferred the State Coastal Conservancy During these investigations, several contaminants left over from when the base was a functioning airfield were found. These contaminants include petroleum, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides. The Army also identified the presence of low levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, a potent pesticide, which has been shown to significantly impact birds and is now illegal in the U.S. The plan to cleanup the remaining sites of contamination is underway and the plan is detailed in the Remedial Action Plan. Cleanup is funded by the Department of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program at no-cost to the Hamilton Wetland Restoration project.
