Hazardous Waste Cleanup: General Services Administration in Washington, DC
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
The Southeast Federal Center (SEFC) is located on the banks of the Anacostia River, within two miles of the White House. The General Services Administration is directing the redevelopment of the remaining Parcels at the SEFC. The SEFC was originally part of the 200-year old Washington Navy Yard (WNY), which is located on its eastern border. In 1799, WNY was commissioned as a shipbuilding facility and later became an ordnance research and manufacturing facility. Since World War II, the WNY was restructured for use as office and storage space. The WNY transferred a large portion of its ‘excess’ property to GSA in 1963 so that GSA could redevelop the site. GSA began redeveloping the land, which includes cleaning up the historic contamination associated with intensive industrial use during the WNY years. Clean-ups have primarily included excavating and removing contaminated soil and disposing of it in accordance with local, State and federal regulations.
Cleanup Status
Under a previous EPA Order issued to GSA in 1999 (Section 3013 Order on Consent), the SEFC conducted environmental clean-ups on a parcel by parcel basis as they were prepared for redevelopment. Under the 1999 Order, the following six Parcels were cleaned-up according to EPA’s acceptable risk guidelines: DOT Parcel and M, P, K, D and N Parcels. These Parcels were conveyed to buyers and are no longer part of the SEFC. In 2014, EPA issued GSA another Consent Order (Section 7003) to streamline the existing process of environmental investigation to Final (clean-up) Remedy by combining the remaining Parcels into one Remedy decision. There are nine remaining Parcels that will be covered by the clean-up/Remedy decision.
In April 2013, GSA submitted its Corrective Measures Study for the Remaining Parcels to EPA. EPA reviewed the Study which compares different Remedy options and proposes a final Remedy for the Parcels. EPA approved the Study and proposed remedy, conditioned on public comments. EPA issued a Statement of Basis (SB) in June 2015 that details the SEFC Site history and provides the ‘basis’ for EPA’s proposed final Remedy decision. The SB public comment period ended in July 2015, and the Final Remedy Decision was signed on July 29, 2015. The SB and Final Remedy Decision for the Remaining Parcels is included under ‘Documents and Reports’ at the end of this page.
Site Description
Currently, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under an EPA 7003 Consent Order. In 1998, GSA began investigating and remediating contamination under a Consent Decree administered by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of a number of plaintiffs. On July 14, 1999, EPA issued an Administrative Order under Section 3013 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act to GSA to delineate contamination and take interim measures to abate Site contamination. A Section 7003 Order was negotiated with GSA in 2014 to complete the clean-up already underway at the SEFC.
Contaminants at this Facility
Soil contamination is the media most affected by the previous intensive industrial activities conducted at the WNY, now SEFC. Contaminants in soil include petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals, such as lead, arsenic and chromium. Groundwater contamination was discovered under the Department of Transportation (DOT) Parcel, prior to development. The contaminants migrated from a former gas station across the street, with some WNY contribution. The main contaminants in the groundwater are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and naphthalene, and minor incidences of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE). Most of the soil from the parcel was removed from the DOT parcel, and groundwater remediation continues on the DOT parcel. Contaminated groundwater beneath the DOT Parcel is contained, with diminishing levels of contamination. MTBE is no longer found in groundwater site-wide.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The properties at SEFC are supplied by the public water utility. However, as an added precaution, groundwater from beneath the DOT, K, M and P parcels is prohibited for use as drinking water under current deeds. As parcels are developed and sold, the prohibition of ground water use is inserted into the deeds. Other engineering and institutional controls are in place for Parcel P. Washington, D.C. will oversee the implementation of institutional controls for Parcel P under D.C.’s Uniform Environmental Covenants Act.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The Parcels of the SEFC that remain undeveloped or unsold are under GSA's administration and the Parcels that have been redeveloped and sold are no longer part of the SEFC and are considered part of 'The Yards' development.
Site Responsiblity at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3.