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1. ATSDR > Public Health Assessments & Consultations

SUMMARY

Fort Eustis was proposed for the EPA National Priorities List in January 1994, and listed in December 1994. The post encompasses an area of about 8,300 acres. For remedial activity purposes, Fort Eustis has delineated 22 Installation Restoration Program areas, consisting of landfills, waste holding ponds, leaking underground storage tanks and fuel spills, maintenance and fuel storage areas, and fire fighting training areas.

The principal exposure pathway of concern is the consumption of PCB-contaminated fish from Bailey's Creek, Brown's Lake and Eustis Lake. It is unlikely that fish from any of the three water bodies have been consumed frequently enough to result in public health hazard. However, because PCBs in fish exceed safe levels, both Eustis Lake and Brown's Lake are included in the Fort Eustis fish advisory. The Army is working with the Commonwealth of Virginia to place Bailey's Creek off-limits to anglers.

The following pathways did not pose health hazards either because contamination was not detected or because people were not coming into contact with contaminants at levels of concern.

Contaminant levels in surface water at Fort Eustis are not sufficiently high to present a public health hazard. With the exception of PCB contamination noted in the water bodies mention above, surface water contamination at Fort Eustis is limited to an apparently short-term fuel contamination at Milstead Island Creek, detected in 1993. Based on ATSDR's recommendation, in 1995 Fort Eustis conducted supplementary sampling which found no significant hydrocarbon contamination at Milstead Island Creek.

Sediment contamination at Fort Eustis has been detected in the water bodies mentioned above. However, as is the case with surface water, the contaminant levels and frequency and duration of contact do not present a public health hazard.

Groundwater in localized plumes is found under Fort Eustis. However, because the groundwater is not used for drinking water or other domestic uses, no public health hazard exists.

Soil contamination at Fort Eustis is limited to localized areas. Because institutional controls have eliminated the possibility of public contact with these contaminants, they do not pose a public health hazard.

If land use changes, the likelihood of human exposure should be re-evaluated by the Army, the EPA, the Commonwealth of Virginia or ATSDR.

INTRODUCTION

Exposure Evaluation Process

In order to evaluate the effect on public health of contaminants at NPL sites, the public health assessment focuses on examining whether people have been exposed to (in contact with) the contaminants. To this end, the two most important tasks in the public health assessment are:

1. determining whether people have been exposed to hazardous substances from the NPL facility, and,
   
   
2. if exposure is possible or has occurred, determining whether the exposure is at a level that could be a hazard to public health.

In this PHA we will examine:

• whether contamination exists in the environment,
• whether contamination is in places where people in the surrounding community might come in contact with the contaminants, and
• if there is exposure, whether there is enough contamination to affect the health of people in the community.

To make this determination, each of the potential environmental media pathways will be examined. An environmental pathway can be described as the route that the contamination follows to get from the source to where people may be in contact with it. The environmental media that this PHA will examine are:

• the "food chain", such as crops, game and fish (specifically, at Fort Eustis, fish and shellfish).
• water, including well water (groundwater) and surface water (creeks, ponds);
• soil and sediment; and
• air.

Another important factor is the way that people might contact the contaminant. By this we mean whether the chemical is:

• inhaled;
• ingested (eaten or drunk); or
• absorbed through the skin.

Not all chemicals are a hazard for each of these methods of contact. For example, most metals are not harmful, particularly in very low amounts, if the only contact is by way of the skin.

Figure 1 portrays the exposure evaluation process study we will make in this PHA. Appendix A provides additional information on the legislative mandate for the public health assessment, and on the general nature of the public health assessment process.

Health Outcome Data

Health outcome data (HOD) records certain health effects that occur in populations. The data can provide information on the general health of the community living near a hazardous waste site. It can also provide information on patterns of specified outcomes. Some examples of health outcome databases are tumor registries, birth defects registries, and vital statistics. At present the degree of possible exposures are so limited that collection of health outcome data would not provide useful information.

BACKGROUND

Site Description

Fort Eustis, located in Newport News, Virginia, was established in 1918. The post encompasses an area of about 8,300 acres. (See Figure 2) The original purpose was to serve as a point of concentration, organization, training and embarkation for the troops of the Coast Artillery Corps intended for duty abroad as heavy field artillery, trench mortar batteries, and antiaircraft artillery units (1).

Since 1918, Fort Eustis has served a number of purposes, including an Army training facility for artillery and artillery observation, a prison for prohibition law offenders, and a work camp for the Works Progress Administration. Beginning in the World War II era, the primary mission of Fort Eustis has been Army transportation training, research and development, engineering, and operations, including aviation and marine shipping activities. The post is currently under the command of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) (1). Appendix B provides a listing of acronyms and abbreviations.)

Fort Eustis began investigating the management of hazardous waste in the late 1970's. The facility was proposed for listing in January 1994, and listed on the NPL in December 1994.

For remedial activity purposes, Fort Eustis has delineated 22 Installation Restoration Program (IRP) areas, consisting of landfills, waste holding ponds, leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) and fuel spills, maintenance and fuel storage areas, and fire fighting training areas. (See Table 1 and Figure 3.)

Figure 2 - Site Location Map

Table 1 – Ft. Eustis IRP Areas

Figure 3 - Fort Eustis IRP

The primary environmental contaminants at the facility are PCBs, pesticides, fuel products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (commonly used in wood preservatives and also given off in automobile or truck exhaust) (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs, primarily solvents), and metals. Contaminated environmental media include onsite soil, surface water and associated sediment, and groundwater.

There are no situations where exposure has been documented. Although public access to the facility is not prohibited, the facility is not readily accessible around much of its perimeter, with the James River to the west, the Warwick River to the east and southeast. The facility is only readily accessible (without using a boat) at the northern boundary. With the exception of Bailey's Creek, which empties into Skiffes Creek, waste areas were located within the post and are only accessible to post residents or personnel. These sites are generally fenced, posted or otherwise secured.

Demographics

According to the 1990 Census Newport News, where Fort Eustis is located, has a population of about 170,000. The population of Fort Eustis and the adjacent census tracts (tracts 320.1, 320.2, 320.03, 322.11, 322.21, 323, 324) is 46,695 (2). Within a one mile radius, outside of the post, population is estimated to be 5,100.

Fort Eustis employs a workforce of about 9,600 military and 4,150 civilian personnel. There are about 1,350 housing units on-post, with 1,100 military personnel and 2,700 dependents in residence. On-post dormitories house about 1,600 military personnel. Additionally, there is an average of about 600 short-term military personnel on-post for training (3).

Landuse and Natural Resources

Fort Eustis is located within the city of Newport News, Virginia. The area around the post is used for a combination of rural, residential, commercial and industrial activities. The post is bounded by the James River to the west and south and the Warwick River to the east. These rivers are commonly used for recreational boating and fishing activities. Commercial fishing also occurs in the vicinity of the post.

The primary groundwater resource in the area is the Columbia Aquifer. This shallow aquifer system is characterized by high permeability and porosity, with resulting high transmissivities. According to information presented in the 1995 Remedial Investigation (RI), the aquifer is strongly affected by surface water recharge (4). This being the case, it is unlikely that contamination of groundwater under the post would pass under the Warwick River to the York-James Peninsula proper. This will be more fully discussed in the following "Groundwater" section.

Surface water in the main post drains via storm sewers and drainage ditches to James or Warwick Rivers. From the Mulberry Island area of the post, drainage is through its marshes eventually into the James and Warwick Rivers. There are several large streams and creeks draining the post, including Bailey's Creek and Milstead Island Creek. Fort Eustis has two lakes, Eustis Lake, the larger of the two is a post recreational lake located in the northwestern portion of the post. Brown's Lake is located in the southern portion of the cantonment area (4). Figure 3 shows the location of these water bodies.

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