PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE
PIERCE COUNTY, TACOMA, WASHINGTON
McChord Air Force Base (McCAFB), an active aircraft station covering 4,616 acres, is approximately 7 miles south of Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington. The base served as a bomber base during World War II. The base currently stations C-141 Starlifter aircraft and provides for the airlift of troops, equipment, passengers, and mail. Operations at the base have involved the use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials, including industrial solvents, cleaning compounds, electroplating chemicals, heavy metals, low-level radioactive wastes, and various fuel oils and lubricants. McCAFB has identified 65 locations on base as confirmed or potential sources of contamination; contaminant characterization is ongoing.
In 1983, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in private well water at an off-base residential area in the northeast corner of the American Lake Garden Tract (ALGT). Contaminated groundwater plumes emanating from McCAFB are responsible for VOC contamination in those private wells. McCAFB first provided potentially affected homes bottled water; later the base offered ALGT residents connections to a municipal water source, in 1984 and again in 1993. Two residences in ALGT use private wells completed in the contaminated surficial aquifer for potable purposes, however, the levels of contamination are not of health concern. These two residences have refused connections to the municipal water source. People may have been exposed to VOCs at levels of health concern through inhalation and ingestion of, or dermal contact with, the contaminated water. A small increase in cancer rates in adults and children might be expected as a result of exposure to TCE-contaminated water. However, because of the small number of people potentially affected and the prevailing incidence of cancer due to other causes, an actual increase in cancer cases may not occur or may not be detectable in the ALGT population.
VOC contamination has also been detected emanating from Fort Lewis which is bounded by ALGT on the south and McCAFB on the southeast; that contamination contributes to the groundwater contamination in the southwest portion of ALGT.
Contaminants of concern have also been detected in the surficial groundwater on McCAFB (VOCs and metals) at levels of health concern. McCAFB frequently monitors base water supply wells to determine if the surficial contamination has contaminated the deeper aquifer that supplies drinking water to the base. Two of the base supply wells and the drinking water tap locations within those two distribution systems are contaminated with TCE, but, currently, the contamination levels are not of health concern.
Based on the available information, ATSDR has concluded that the 65 sites at McCAFB are no apparent public health hazard; however, if in the future contaminants from the soil and groundwater migrate off-site or towards the base supply wells via the groundwater, then a public health hazard could exist. Long-term groundwater monitoring is in place to ensure that migration of contaminants would be detected before any exposures would occur. Also, the site (Site 44, Area G) where the two contaminated base supply wells are is currently undergoing environmental characterization.
There are insufficient or no community-specific health outcome data to indicate that the site has had an adverse impact on human health. A few residents in the ALGT residential area are concerned that exposures to contaminants in groundwater from McCAFB could have caused cancer and other adverse health effects.
ATSDR recommends continued monitoring of base water supply wells and of the contamination of the surficial aquifer in the long-term monitoring program.
The ATSDR Health Activities Recommendation Panel (HARP) has evaluated the data and
information in this public health assessment and has determined that no additional community
involvement by ATSDR with the residents in ALGT is indicated. The Public Health Action Plan
defines the implementation of actions recommended in this public health assessment.
A. Site Description and History
McChord Air Force Base (McCAFB) is about 7 miles south of downtown Tacoma, Washington, on 4,616 acres of land in Pierce County. The base is bounded on the north by Tacoma; on the east and west by residential communities; on the southwest by a residential area (the American Lake Garden Tract); and on the southeast by the Fort Lewis, a site of industrial operations and military training since 1917. Parts of the western side of McCAFB are bordered by Interstate 5. A number of communities surround the base, including Tillicum, American Lake Garden Tract, Lakeview, Lakewood, Clover Park, Ponders Corner, Parkland, and Tacoma. Clover Creek runs across the base, crosses under I-5, and then runs through Lakewood to Steilacoom Lake. A Burlington Northern railroad right-of-way bisects the base, separating the eastern industrial/operations part of the base from a munitions storage area, family housing, and the Whispering Firs golf course. Figure 1, Appendix A, shows McChord AFB and vicinity. The base is fenced and has guarded gates.
Before 1938, the area where McCAFB is located was known as Tacoma Field, a small dirt-strip county airport on prairie pasturelands. Deeded to the Army by Pierce County in 1938, the base served as a bomber base during World War II. In 1948, McChord Army Base was redesignated McChord Air Force Base and became an Air Force processing station for the region. During the Korean Conflict, fighter jets were assigned to McCAFB; during the Vietnam Conflict, McCAFB was a major gateway to the conflict zone. In 1968, the 62nd Military Airlift Wing (MAW) took over command of McCAFB. The base currently stations C-141 Starlifter and A-10 aircraft and provides for the airlift of troops, equipment, passengers, and mail. The 62nd MAW was redesignated the 62nd Airlift Wing in 1992.
The majority of industrial operations, including vehicle maintenance shops, plating shop, and jet engine shops, that generate hazardous waste at McCAFB have operated since 1939 (CH2M Hill 1982). The plating shop no longer exists (Jackson 1993). The industrial operations generate varying quantities of waste oil, fuels, solvents, and cleaning compounds. In the past, standard on-base disposal practices for the wastes have included the use of dry wells or leaching-soaking pits, burning trenches, fire training areas, storm drains that drain to Clover Creek, on-site landfills, and the sanitary sewer (CH2M Hill 1982). These disposal practices were discontinued prior to 1982 (Jackson 1993).
In 1980, Department of Defense components were required, as part of the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), to establish a program with priorities for conducting records searches at their installations and to identify their abandoned hazardous waste disposal sites. In 1982, during the IRP Phase I Records Search, 62 sites were identified at McCAFB. Some of the sites were later grouped by proximity into Areas A-J. Two additional sites (a petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) contaminated area and an entomology shop dry well) were identified in 1984 and in 1989 by the Washington Department of Ecology and by McChord AFB, respectively. In 1991, Site 65 was added to the list of waste sites. Site 65 includes 22 underground storage tanks in the Defense Environmental Restoration Program; the tanks are at seven different locations on base.
Sixty-four sites are identified in Figure 2, Appendix A; Figure 3, Appendix A depicts how the areas of contamination are addressed in this public health assessment. Site-specific background material, historical details, and information about on-base areas, environmental contaminant investigations, and contaminants of concern for all 65 sites at McCAFB are included in Appendix B. Off-base contamination information pertinent to the ALGT residential area is included in the main text of this public health assessment. Site descriptions and waste types at each area are given in Table 1.
Two McCAFB areas have been listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) as established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) as amended. Two areas at the adjacent Fort Lewis are also NPL sites. The two NPL areas at McCAFB are Area D/American Lake Garden Tract (Area D/ALGT) Site and the Washrack/Treatment Area (WTA).
In March 1984, local county and EPA officials reported that two private wells in the northeastern part of the ALGT residential area had been contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) migrating from landfills on McCAFB. The ALGT residential area is adjacent to Area D in the southwestern corner of the base. The Area D/ALGT site, including the off-base ALGT residential area and the adjacent on-base golf course and surrounding area, was listed on the NPL in 1984. For purposes of this report, the NPL Area D/ALGT site will be referred to as such; the off-base ALGT residential area will be referred to as "ALGT."
Although the Area D/ALGT Site is considered a CERCLA site and not a DOD site, it is included in this public health assessment because the groundwater contamination in the northeastern part of ALGT migrated from McCAFB. Within this area, two landfills (Sites 5 and 39) under the golf course were sources of trichloroethylene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE) contamination in the shallow groundwater. The selected remedial action authorized in the September 1991 record of decision (ROD) includes: 1) connecting ALGT residences that are still using private wells to an alternative drinking water supply and 2) remediating groundwater (long term) by adsorption of the contaminants onto activated carbon. IRP site 5 will remain open to track the remediation of the aquifer and the monitoring of the groundwater throughout the ALGT Site. No response actions are planned for the six other IRP sites (Sites 4, 6, 7, 26, 35, and 39); however, the groundwater at this NPL site is undergoing long-term monitoring.
The Washrack/Treatment Area (WTA) site was listed on the NPL in 1987. The WTA site is the location of a washrack operation and includes the storm drainage infiltration ditches. Two IRP sites are in the vicinity of the WTA: Site 54, the washrack rinsate disposal area (two leach pits) where organic solvents used to clean airplanes were disposed; and Site 60, a plume of floating product. Groundwater studies in the immediate WTA area have documented a layer of fuel floating on top of the water table. That fuel layer is either diesel fuel or aviation fuel (AVGAS). The selected remediation described in the record of decision published in 1992 included extracting, collecting, and removing the floating fuel in the unconfined aquifer. Later, a pilot study revealed much less floating fuel than originally thought and the need for remedial action was re-evaluated. The final decision is natural attenuation and long-term groundwater monitoring.
Table 1. Site Description and Contamination by Area
(CH2M Hill 1982, EMB 1991c)
| Area | Site | Site Description | Wastes | Disposal/ Spill Dates |
| A | 1 | Burial pit | Boiler ash, industrial waste | 1946-1956? |
| 2 | Dump | Boiler ash, industrial, domestic, construction, demolition waste | 1957-1976 | |
| 34 | Tank farm area | Fuel tank sludge, fuel (JP-4 and leaded fuel) disposal; fuel spills | 1956-? | |
| 46 | Fuel (JP-4) spill | 50,000-gallon JP-4 fuel spill; no remediation | early 1960s | |
| B | 38 | Liquid disposal/spill site along C ramp | Waste fuels, petroleum, oil, lubricant disposal; 900 gallons of 1,500- gallon spill in 1980 were recovered | 1940s-1960s |
| 40 | Liquid disposal site | Waste petroleum, oil, and lubricant; motor pool solvents | 1951-1960s | |
| 41 | Fuel (AVGAS) spill | Fuel line leak undetected for up to 6 months; quantity unknown; no recovery | 1965 | |
| 47 | Fuel spill at C ramp | 25,000 gallons fuel (type unknown) leaked from underground pipe; no recovery | Unknown | |
| 52 | Spill site, Bldg. 1173 | Oil, synthetic lubricants, and hydraulic fluids | Unknown | |
| 53 | Spill site, Bldgs. 1147 to 1159 | Waste fuels, petroleum, oil, lubricant, and solvents; drainage through skimmer into storm drainage ditch connecting to Clover Creek | Unknown | |
| 55 | Spill area between Bldgs. 1170 and 1164 | Fuels, POL, and solvents | Unknown | |
| C | 12 | Landfill | Industrial and construction wastes, coal ash | 1939-1952 |
| 33 | Former fire training area | Waste fuel (AVGAS) | 1940s-1950 | |
| 37 | Liquid disposal site along "D" ramp |
Waste fuels and POL | 1940s-1960s | |
| 42 | Liquid waste spill at refueling docks |
Waste POL and fuels | Unknown | |
| 45 | Fuel spill between Hangars 1 and 2 | AVGAS spill (2,000 gallons) - washed away | 1950s | |
| 57 | Leach pit near Hangar 1 | Industrial wastes, including petroleum, oil, lubricants, degreasers, other solvents, and electroplating wastes | Unknown | |
| 58 | Leach pit (acid dry well) | Industrial wastes | Unknown | |
| 61 | Leach pit between Bldg. 745 and Clover Creek | Electroplating wastes | 1953-1960 | |
| 62 | Dump pad/infiltration area | Plating tank sludges; drainage to Clover Creek | Unknown | |
| B/C WTA |
54 | Liquid disposal/spill adjacent to washrack and including Industrial Waste Water Treatment Plant | Solvents, alkaline-base detergents, paint removers, corrosion-removing compounds, degreasers, and waste oils; drainage of waste into Clover Creek untreated until 1948; information from personal interviews in 1982 estimated that in 1968, total flow to leach pits was approximately 8,000 gallons per day; problems in past with skimmer | 1940s-? |
| 60 | Leach pit and storm drainage infiltration ditches | POL wastes | 1950s-? | |
| D ALGT |
4 | Gravel pit | Rubbish, garbage and industrial wastes | 1941-1978 |
| 5 | Landfill under golf course | Large quantities of hazardous wastes disposed, including waste oil and fuel | 1951-1967 | |
| 6 | Landfill | Construction wastes | 1961-? | |
| 7 | Landfill under golf course | Industrial, domestic, and construction wastes | 1967-1972 | |
| 26 | Ordnance disposal | Residue from ordnance deactivation; 500 live grenades were reported to be buried in area | 1943-1956 | |
| 35 | Liquid radioactive disposal well (depth unknown) | Washwater from decontamination of radar components, fluorescent dials; possibly medical waste liquids; all disposed down a well | 1950s | |
| 39 | Liquid waste disposal site adjacent to golf course | Waste fuel (JP-4), solvents, and POL were burned | 1956-1960 | |
| E | 10 | Landfill north of Bldg. 304 | Industrial, domestic, and construction wastes | 1950s-1966 |
| 49 | Liquid spill area south of Bldg. 392 | Waste fuels, POL, and solvents | Unknown | |
| 50 | Liquid spill area west of 6th Street | Waste fuels, including large quantities of JP-4; POL; and solvents; 2,000- gallon spill in 1981, not known if contained | 1962-? | |
| 51 | Liquid spill area, drainage ditch west of 6th Street | Waste fuels, POL, paints, and solvents | Unknown | |
| 56 | Septic tank system | Possible herbicide and pesticide residues | Pre-1948 | |
| F/H | 27 | Former fire training area | Waste fuels, JP-4, and AVGAS | 1960-1977 |
| 28 | Former fire training area | Waste fuels, such as JP-4; active for one or two years | 1960s | |
| 29 | Former crash fire training area (Shown on base maps, but no other information) | Unknown | Never active | |
| 30 | Former fire training area | Solvents, alcohol, AVGAS, and oils were burned during training exercises | 1955-1960 | |
| 31 | Former fire training area | Solvents, alcohol, AVGAS, and oils were burned during training exercises | 1950-1955 | |
| 32 | Current fire training area | Waste fuel (JP-4) | 1976-1990 | |
| G | 44 | Motor pool leach pits, disposal/spill site | Waste fuels, POL, and solvents | Unknown |
| I | 13 | General landfill | Domestic and construction waste; 50 drums of liquid waste, including paints and solvents; open burning took place in 1950s | 1950-1979 |
| 22 | Burial site | Cars and heavy equipment; waste POL | 1939-1951 | |
| J | 36 | Storm drain ditch | Waste paint, oil, and fuel | Unknown |
| 48 | Pentachlorophenol wood preservative tank | Pentachlorophenol overflow and spills | 1950s-? | |
| Unspecified Area | 3 | Burial site | Low-level radioactive waste | 1950s |
| 8 | Burial site | Coal Ash | 1950s | |
| 9 | Burial site | Fire brick and hardwood flooring | Unknown | |
| 11 | Landfill | Demolition and construction debris | Until 1970 | |
| 14 | Burial site | Demolition and construction debris | 1972-1973 | |
| 15 | Unauthorized surface dump | Domestic wastes | 1960-1972 | |
| 16 | Burial site | Miscellaneous automotive and aircraft equipment | 1940s-? | |
| 17 | Burial site | Demolition debris; small amount industrial wastes | 1950s | |
| 18 | Burial site (dry well) | Caustic soda | Until 1970s | |
| 19 | Burial site | Domestic and demolition debris | 1952-1965 | |
| 20 | Burial site | Domestic and demolition debris | Unknown | |
| 21 | Burial site | Demolition and construction debris | Unknown | |
| 23 | Landfill | Demolition and construction debris | Unknown | |
| 24 | Dump | Flight line sweepings (loose, natural objects, such as rocks and vegetation) | 1957-1960 | |
| 25 | Surface Dump | Flight line sweepings, chemicals to remove runway rubber deposits, including cresylic acid, benzene, and phenolic compounds | 1950s-1970 | |
| 43 | Liquid waste disposal site | POL for weed control | Until 1960s | |
| 59 | Fuel oil spill | Fuel oil (1,000 gallons) | 1960s | |
| 63 | Remediated POL (spell out) soil contamination in two areas | POL; contaminated soils removed in 1988 | 1984 | |
| 64 | Entomology shop dry well | Entomology wastes | Unknown | |
| 65 | Underground storage tanks - 22 at 7 different locations | Includes tanks eligible for the Defense Environmental Restoration Program; removal of tanks is planned; any soil and groundwater contamination will be investigated during the removal. | Unknown |
In 1990, the Washington Department of Ecology reviewed the hazardous waste contamination at 55 sites identified during the Installation Restoration Program investigations. The Department of Ecology identified 29 sites for site hazard assessment, 22 for no further action, and four for confirmational sampling (groundwater monitoring and soil sampling) (Liverman 1990). A consent decree signed in February 1992 by the Department of Ecology, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Air Force described how the 29 sites would be moved through site hazard assessment into remedial investigation, cleanup, or no further action. Site hazard assessment of 29 sites began in January 1993. McCAFB identified 18 sites where additional environmental sampling information was needed. That workplan conforms to the clean-up regulations of the State of Washington Model Toxics Control Act of 1987. Depending on the sampling results, the four sites identified for long-term groundwater monitoring and soil sampling would require either no further action or site hazard assessment.
Three remedial activities have taken place at McChord AFB. The first remediation involved contaminated soil at two areas, which are designated as one site (Site 63) (Dames and Moore 1986). Near Building 792, soils contaminated with JP-4 jet fuel were removed and replaced sequentially with uncontaminated soil and a semi-permeable fabric sloping toward a gravel-filled trench. The area was then covered with topsoil and grass sod. Near Building 1173, the soils were predominantly contaminated with hydraulic fluid beneath the asphalt pavement. That soil was removed, replaced with crushed rock, and capped with asphalt concrete pavement. The remediation was completed in January 1987.
At Sites 27 and 32, fuel-contaminated soil was identified during site hazard assessment in 1993. Approximately 6,000 yards of soil were removed at each location. A release from an underground storage tank discovered during the excavation of Site 32 occurred. The tank was also removed and the area beneath the tank was excavated to remove the contaminated soils. Analysis of confirmational samples which were collected from both excavations detected no additional contamination.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) first involvement with McChord Air Force Base was in 1988, when two preliminary public health assessments (both made final January 19, 1989) were prepared by the Agency. In the assessment of the Area D/ALGT Site, ATSDR concluded that the site was of potential public health concern because of the risk to public health caused by the possibility of exposure to hazardous substances in the groundwater through use of private wells in the ALGT residential area. In the assessment for the WTA, ATSDR concluded that the site was of potential public health concern because of the risk to human health caused by the possibility of exposure to hazardous substances in the groundwater, surface water, soil, and sediment/leachate. ATSDR emphasized the need, because of the environmental contamination, to evaluate the entire base for public health implications. ATSDR recommended further environmental characterization of both NPL sites and potentially affected off-site areas during the remedial investigation/feasibility studies (RI/FS) to address the potential human exposure pathways. These concerns were addressed by McCAFB during the RI/FS studies (EBASCO Environmental 1991a and 1991b; EBASCO Services Incorporated, 1992a and 1992b.)
ATSDR staff visited the site area March 26-28, 1991. ATSDR representatives met with the EPA federal facility remedial project manager to discuss the status of the two NPL sites at McCAFB. In addition, ATSDR staff met with McCAFB personnel and representatives of the Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Health, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Information from state and local officials has been incorporated into appropriate sections of this public health assessment. The mission of ATSDR, the public health assessment process, and the current status of the IRP at the base were discussed.
A site inspection tour was conducted by base personnel for ATSDR staff and state representatives, including the sites believed to be associated with human exposure: the two NPL areas, two radioactive waste sites, five fire training areas, and a fuel tank farm. Information about the sites was provided by both McChord Air Force Base personnel and state officials.
ATSDR staff visited McCAFB again (November 5-8, 1991) to attend McChord's Citizens' Advisory Meeting; to tour sites not seen during the first site visit; to gather community concerns from residents; and to acquire additional information and documentation for the public health assessment. Most of the additional sites toured were on the industrial part of the base, Areas B and C. Liquid waste, including petroleum, oils, lubricants, solvents, and fuels, were reported to have been disposed or spilled in those areas. Soil contamination was not seen; however, most of the surface was covered with cement or grass.
C. Demographics, Land Use, and Natural Resource Use
Demographics
On-Base Residential Areas
According to the 1990 census, just more than 4,500 lived in the McCAFB census tract. Tables 2 and 3 summarize the population and housing characteristics of McCAFB. Approximately 750 people (16.2%) lived in group quarters, such as barracks or dormitories. The remainder lived in households on base. The on-base housing areas are shown in Figure 4, Appendix A. Typical of military installations, there were a large number of children under age 10 living on the base, but very few elderly people. The census reported an average of 3.87 people per household, which is high relative to the general population but typical of a military base. More than one half of the residents move each year because of frequent transfers of military personnel. Between 5,000 and 6,000 civilians work at McChord AFB.
Table 2. Population Characteristics of McChord AFB
| Total persons | 4,538 |
| Total area, square miles | 7.05 |
| Persons per square mile | 643 |
| % Male | 57.2 |
| % Female | 42.8 |
| % White | 78.8 |
| % Black | 12.5 |
| % American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut | 1.0 |
| % Asian or Pacific Islander | 5.4 |
| % Other races | 2.4 |
| % Hispanic origin | 5.4 |
| % Under age 10 | 29.6 |
| % Age 65 and older | 0.1 |
Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Summary Tape File 1 (Washington). Prepared by Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1991.
Table 3. Housing Characteristics of McChord AFB
| Households* | 978 |
| Persons per household | 3.87 |
| % Persons in group quarters | 16.2 |
| Median value, owner-occupied households ($) | Not applicable |
| Median rent paid, renter-occupied households ($) | 397 |
* A household is an occupied housing unit that does not include group quarters, such as military barracks, prisons, and college dormitories.
Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Summary Tape File 1 (Washington). Prepared by Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1991.
Off-Base Residential Areas
American Lake Garden Tract (ALGT)
This residential area is southwest of McChord; ALGT also borders Fort Lewis (see location in Figure 4, Appendix A). Residents of this area have expressed a number of health concerns. The ALGT area was settled as a small farming community in the early 1900s. The area has been predominantly residential since the 1960s, when demand for military personnel housing increased. Approximately 1,180 housing units are in the ALGT neighborhood, which is between McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis. Many residents are enlisted military personnel. Most of the housing consists of low-cost apartment complexes or mobile home parks. More than one half of the military residents move each year because of frequent transfers.
Tables 4 and 5 contain 1990 Census data for ALGT. The area (less than 1 square mile) had a total population of 3,064. The percentage of children under age 10 (28.0%) is higher than the state percentage of 15.2%; that relatively large number of young children is typical of areas near military installations. As shown in Table 4, the racial composition of this neighborhood is diverse. The high percentage of households that are renter occupied (85.7%) is representative of areas near military bases and indicates a transient population.
Lakewood (Eastern Part)
The triangular part of Lakewood, bordered by McCAFB on the south and east, is shown in Figure 4, Appendix A. Drinking water for this residential area comes from the Lakewood Water District and private and public wells. Like ALGT, this area covers less than 1 square mile, is densely populated, and has a racially diverse population (see census information in Tables 4 and 5). There are also high percentages of children and renter-occupied housing units.
Area East of Base
Two rectangular areas immediately east of the base contain some households (6-10 each) with private wells (see locations in Figure 4, Appendix A). The two areas do not have access to municipal well water. Private or public drinking water wells also are used by residents in areas east of the base who are served by Parkland Light and Water Company. Refer to census information in Tables 4 and 5. Site 32, the most recently used fire training area, is about 1,500 feet downgradient of a residential area with private wells. Site 27, a former fire training area, is about 500 feet downgradient of another residential area.
Table 4. Population Characteristics of Off-Base
Residential Areas
| ALGT | Lakewood | Area East of McCAFB | |
| Total persons | 3,064 | 4,517 | 1,263 |
| Total area, square miles | 0.53 | 0.64 | 1.01 |
| Persons per square mile | 5,781 | 7,014 | 1,251 |
| % Male | 48.0 | 49.6 | 49.6 |
| % Female | 52.0 | 50.4 | 50.4 |
| % White | 62.4 | 56.9 | 80.3 |
| % Black | 23.8 | 27.6 | 8.9 |
| % American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
| % Asian or Pacific Islander | 8.4 | 11.0 | 8.7 |
| % Other races | 3.7 | 3.1 | 1.1 |
| % Hispanic origin | 8.6 | 8.4 | 3.6 |
| % Under age 10 | 28.0 | 26.0 | 15.6 |
| % Age 65 and older | 2.6 | 1.9 | 7.8 |
Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Summary Tape File 1 (Washington). Prepared by Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1991.
Table 5. Housing Characteristics of Off-Base Residential Areas
| ALGT | Lakewood | Area East of McCAFB | |
| Households* | 1,143 | 1,824 | 445 |
| Persons per household | 2.68 | 2.48 | 2.84 |
| % Households owner occupied | 14.3 | 8.7 | 80.2 |
| % Households renter occupied | 85.7 | 91.3 | 19.8 |
| % Households mobile homes | 10.9 | 4.4 | 6.5 |
| Median value, owner-occupied households ($) | ~85,000 | ~50,000 | ~108,500 |
| Median rent paid, renter-occupied households ($) | ~295 | ~330 | ~453 |
* A household is an occupied housing unit that does not include group quarters, such as military barracks, prisons, and college dormitories.
Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing, Summary Tape File 1 (Washington). Prepared by Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C., 1991.
Land Use
On-base
McCAFB occupies about 7 square miles of partially wooded grasslands on the upland plain above Puget Sound. A Burlington Northern Railroad right-of-way in a north-south alignment divides the base. All aircraft mobilization and maintenance services, plus almost all administrative and support functions, are on the eastern section of the base.
West of the railroad right-of-way is the Area D/ALGT site, which includes housing, a golf course, and other open-space recreational areas. Area D includes the Northwest Air Defense Sector Headquarters, residential areas, the Whispering Firs Golf Course, Wescott Hills Communication station, a child care center, and horse stables. Also included in Area D are a nursery school, two elementary schools in the Heartwood Housing area, and a soccer field. One hundred-twenty additional housing units are near the center of the base.
Dormitory units are immediately north of Clover Creek as it exits the base to the west. The southern part of the base (695 acres) is used for mission-essential training purposes and the Security Police Squadron Confidence Course.
Four areas at McCAFB have been left natural for recreational use: Mountain View (10 acres), Porter Hills (145 acres), Wescott Hills (100 acres), and Gasking Park (10 acres). Holiday Park, on the southeastern side of the base, is a 45-acre facility with day-use and camping facilities. No threatened or endangered species of animals or plants are known to live there. Pheasant hunting was allowed on the southern part of the base until 1987. No other hunting has been allowed at McCAFB.
Off base
The land surrounding the base is commercial, residential, and agricultural. The part of Lakewood abutting McCAFB has more than 20 multi-family housing units which are across the street from Area A, the bulk fuel storage area. A dry cleaners is also in this area, which is just north of McCAFB. The southeastern tip of McCAFB borders the northeastern corner of Fort Lewis. Just east of Interstate 5, sandwiched between the northwestern tip of Ft. Lewis and the southern end of McCAFB, is the American Lake Garden Tract, a housing community consisting of single-family residential homes, small horse farms, elementary schools, a day-care center, and a junior high school. No industrial activities or hazardous materials spills, storage, or disposal are known to have taken place within the area. Historically, commercial activities have been limited to gasoline service stations, auto repair shops, a laundromat, a grocery store, a barber shop, and restaurant and equestrian facilities. Land east of McCAFB is mainly wooded and vegetated, with some wetlands and residential areas.
C. Natural Resource Use
Some of the residents in all of the adjacent off-base residential areas use private or public wells that could be completed in the surficial aquifer which is contaminated in some areas on McCAFB. In Washington, public wells are defined as wells serving two or more households; private wells serve only one household. Municipal water supply sources serve other residential areas around McCAFB, but some residents in those areas still use private or public wells for drinking water. The municipal wells, which are usually completed in deeper, uncontaminated aquifers (exceptions noted in the following paragraphs), are regularly tested for contaminants.
Surface Water Use
The highly permeable nature of the surface soil allows rapid infiltration of precipitation (rain, snow, etc.), with little to no surface flow and only occasional, short-term accumulation of water in ponds. The lakes and wetlands in isolated, low topographic areas are not drained by streams. The single perennial stream on base, Clover Creek, intersects Morey Creek Pond within the eastern border of McCAFB. The combined stream passes through a 0.6-mile-long culvert beneath the runway and taxiway, is channeled around the northern industrial area, and flows off-base along its original bed towards Steilacoom Lake, which is 2 miles away. Clover Creek recharges to the groundwater for most of its length.
The entire length of Clover Creek can be used for fishing, except the portion that flows under the active runway through a culvert. That creek has been designated by the Washington Department of Natural Resources as a selective fishery for cutthroat trout. Other surface water bodies used for fishing include Morey Pond (which covers 4 acres), Morey Creek (240 feet), and Carter Lake (3 acres). Morey Creek and Morey Pond are on the southeastern part of the base, within 400 feet of two fire training areas (sites 30 and 31). Carter Lake is in the Heartwood Housing area. Other water bodies in the area are seasonal and not used for recreation, except as water hazards on the golf course. The 23 wetlands areas cover 122 acres. Most of the wetlands are on the western (Area D) or southern parts of the base.
Groundwater Use
On base
The on-base drinking water system consists of nine drinking water wells; all but one are screened in the lower aquifers. All of the drinking water wells are on the same distribution system, except the Signal Hill Well (No. 832). Figure 5 in Appendix A shows the locations of the drinking water wells. The Sage Well No. 847 is screened at a depth of 35 to 69 feet in the surficial aquifer; it is an ancillary well used primarily for watering the golf course. All of the other base wells are screened in the deeper aquifers.
Off base
Municipal Water
Two municipal water companies supply water to off-base residences and businesses. The Parkland Light and Water Company (PLWC) draws most of its water from the secondary aquifer or a deeper aquifer. Two of the municipal wells, which are about 4,000 feet east and upgradient of two former fire training areas (Sites 27 and 28) are 30 feet deep. The next shallowest depth of any of the municipal wells at five different locations is about 170 feet.
A PLWC employee stated that although the maximum total capacity of the two wells completed in the surficial aquifer is rather high (4,300 gallons/minute), that capacity causes no draw-down effect (ATSDR 1992b, ATSDR 1993d). PLWC supplies residences and businesses east of the base; that area reaches about as far north and south as the boundaries of McCAFB.
The Lakewood Water District draws water from 16 different locations west of McCAFB. All drinking water wells in this system are approximately 300 feet deep (ATSDR 1991a). Two well locations, Ponders Corners and Tillicum, are within 4,000 feet of McCAFB. The wells at those two locations are currently being monitored for VOCs every 2 weeks. The wells at Ponders Corners were contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE) from an off-base dry cleaners (ATSDR 1992c). An air stripper is being used to remove PCE from the groundwater. The surficial aquifer at the Tillicum well location is contaminated with TCE emanating from Fort Lewis. The Tillicum well which is completed in the deeper aquifer is being tested regularly to ensure that the surficial contamination does not migrate downward into the deeper aquifer (ATSDR 1991a).
Private Wells
Residents of several off-base areas near McCAFB are known to have access to private wells. Figure 4 in Appendix A shows the locations of those residential areas, including ALGT. In 1984, the surficial aquifer on the northeastern corner of ALGT was found to be contaminated with VOCs that had migrated from the landfills under the McCAFB golf course. Since then, McCAFB has twice offered ALGT residents connections for municipal water. The owners of two residences in ALGT near the contamination plume (at a concentration of 0.5 ppb TCE) refused the municipal connections. Those are the only residences near the known ALGT groundwater contamination plume still using private well water for drinking purposes (ATSDR 1993c).
Two of the residential areas east of McCAFB have no drinking water source besides private wells. Some residences on the eastern side that are in the PLWC service area also have private or public wells.
Residences in the triangular part of Lakewood bounded by McCAFB on the east and south and by Interstate 5 on the northwest are served by the Lakewood Water District, but some residents may still obtain drinking water from private or public wells. The 90 trailer spaces at the Fir Acres Mobile Home Park were provided connections to municipal water in the fall of 1993 (ATSDR 1993c). Only one residence is known to be obtaining drinking water from a private well (ATSDR 1993c).
The Washington Department of Health maintains a Vital Statistics Department and an Office of Registries. The Vital Statistics Department gathers information on numbers of deaths, births, and fetal deaths for the state of Washington. Variables included in this database are geographic location (city, county, town); age; sex; race; address; cause of death; birth weight; gestational age; and birth defects.
The Washington Birth Defects Registry is a record of children with serious birth defects diagnosed before the first birthday. The database contains information by major birth defect classifications and by demographic factors: county of residence, sex, race, address, and mother's occupation, smoking history, and age. Data for births in military hospitals are not included. As of August 1991, information was available for the entire state from 1986-1989.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a private organization, maintains a Cancer
Surveillance System (CSS) for the state. The CSS works under contract to the Surveillance,
Epidemiology and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. The CSS database is
the central repository for all newly diagnosed malignancies (except nonmelanotic skin cancers) in
residents of 13 counties of the northwestern part of Washington state. The database includes five
standard metropolitan statistical areas: the Seattle-Everett area (King and Snohomish counties),
Tacoma (Pierce County), Kitsap County, and Thurston County; the areas have a population of
approximately 1 million people. The population-based cancer surveillance system monitors the
incidence and mortality of specific cancers over time. The variables collected in this database are
designed to permit the detection of differential risks of cancer by geographic region, age, race,
sex, marital status, social security number, occupation, type of cancer, extent of disease,
treatment, hospital identification, and other demographic data. This information is available for Pierce County since January 1, 1974.
Through meetings with the public in November 1991 and through phone calls made to citizens in May and June 1992, ATSDR identified the following concerns related to environmental contamination at McCAFB. These concerns are addressed in the section Public Health Implications, Community Health Concerns Evaluation.
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