Town Of Bedford: Notice Of Construction Activities For Navy's Continuation Of Cleanup Actions At Former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve ...

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

June 22, 2021 - 10:52am

The Town of Bedford has been informed by the Navy that construction activities for the Navy’s cleanup actions at the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) off of Hartwell Road in Bedford will continue in late June, 2021 through September, 2021.

This phase is part of ongoing, scheduled maintenance at the site, which is not accessible to the public.

Please see the public notice below for details about the activities, which will include work on the groundwater treatment system and installation of additional monitoring wells. The Navy will limit work hours to 7:00 am – 5:00 pm on weekdays and truck traffic is anticipated to occur between 9:00 am – 3:00 pm on weekdays.

For questions and concerns, please contact: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs via email at NAVFAC_ML_PAO@navy.mil or by calling (757) 341-1410.

Copy of public notice:

NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES FOR NAVY’S CONTINUATION OF CLEANUP ACTIONS AT FORMER NAVAL WEAPONS INDUSTRIAL RESERVE PLANT (NWIRP) BEDFORD, MA

Construction activities specific to the ongoing environmental cleanup activities for the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) at the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Bedford, Massachusetts at Site 3 (Chlorinated Solvent Groundwater Plume) are scheduled to resume in late-June 2021 through September 2021. Construction activities include modification of the Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System, and the installation of new monitoring wells. Work hours will be limited from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Truck traffic is anticipated to occur during off-peak hours (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) for equipment deliveries.

The Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System in place at the former NWIRP Bedford, to treat and contain the chlorinated solvent groundwater plume, will be shut down for five weeks to modify the treatment system to include treatment of 1,4-dioxane present in groundwater. A temporary treatment system on a tractor trailer will be delivered mid-to-late June to treat the groundwater during the temporary shut down.

The construction to modify the Groundwater Extraction and Treatment System to treat 1,4-dioxane present in groundwater will be conducted indoors. Construction will begin late June, and will span approximately five weeks until completion.

Additional monitoring wells are being installed to monitor the chlorinated solvent groundwater plume at Site 3. The monitoring wells will be installed in the central, southern, and eastern portions of the Navy property. Well installation will resume in early July 2021 and will extend into August/September 2021.

A Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) public meeting to update the community on the ongoing environmental cleanup activities for the ERP sites at the former NWIRP Bedford is expected to occur during Fall 2021. Notice of the RAB meeting will be advertised closer to the date in local newspapers (Bedford Minuteman and Lexington Minuteman), posted on the Town of Bedford Events Calendar, and listed on the NWIRP Bedford ERP public website at https://go.usa.gov/x6Ksr. Current RAB members will be notified via email and will receive monthly field updates during these construction and field events. If anyone wishes to become a RAB member so they can be contacted directly regarding future field events and RAB meetings, please send your contact info to the Navy’s Public Affairs Officer (PAO) email or address shown below.

Reports on environmental actions are made available to the public through the Navy’s Administrative Record (AR) file for the former NWIRP Bedford. The AR file contains data and documentation supporting past site decisions regarding the Navy’s ERP cleanup of former NWIRP Bedford. The AR file is available electronically at https://go.usa.gov/x6Ksr, under “Community Outreach.” For those with no internet and/or computer access, a copy of the AR file is kept in the “AR File CD Binder,” updated yearly, and made available at the Bedford Public Library at 7 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA 01730.

For questions, please contact:

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic Public Affairs

9324 Virginia Avenue Norfolk, VA 23511-3095

PAO Phone: (757) 341-1410/11 or email: NAVFAC_ML_PAO@navy.mil

This press release was produced by the Town of Bedford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.