FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITE INSTALLATION ID: RI19799F213100
GOULD ISLAND NUSC
narragansett bay, Rhode Island
Cost So Far
$916K
Money already spent on the evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites.
Expected Additional Cost
$1.79M
The estimated amount of money needed for evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites at this installation.
Completion Date
2021
The date the DOD says cleanup of all sites was completed. Long term monitoring may continue after this date.
When Gould Island was first in service for the U.S. Navy, they established a storage facility for high explosives on the island prior to WWI. The island was placed under the jurisdiction of the Goat Island facility. Over the next few years,... see more » When Gould Island was first in service for the U.S. Navy, they established a storage facility for high explosives on the island prior to WWI. The island was placed under the jurisdiction of the Goat Island facility. Over the next few years, several buildings were erected on Gould Island for torpedo and warhead storage and for housing a detachment of marines. In 1921, two seaplanes were assigned to the torpedo station to experiment with airdropped torpedoes. For this purpose hangars were constructed at the southern end of Gould Island and ramps were installed for accessibility of the seaplanes to and from the waters of Narragansett Bay. In February 1942, Gould Island was provided the capability to proof fire 100 torpedoes per day. In 1944 a degaussing station, i.e. a demagnetizing facility capable of neutralizing ships to prevent their attracting or detonating magnetic mines or torpedoes, was put into operation. The Rhode Island portion of the island has been maintained by the State Fish & Wildlife Department for wildlife habitat. The area is a valued shorebird breeding site, and is off-limits to visitors during the breeding season, April 1 - August 15. There have been occasional controlled burns of vegetation as part of their management of the island. (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) « see less
2 Hazardous Sites
Below are the locations of hazardous sites associated with this military installation, according to the DOD. A site’s contamination may affect a much larger area, including public and private lands and the water supplies beneath them.
High Risk
Medium Risk
Low Risk
Risk Not Evaluated or Not Required
Response Complete
We haven't independently confirmed the location of every site. If you notice a site placed at the incorrect location, please contact us.
Not all sites in the DOD data include location information, so there may be sites listed below that are missing from the map. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.
1 Active Site
Sites where military cleanup actions are still ongoing. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD, which prioritizes the cleanup of sites that pose greatest threat to safety, human health, and the environment.
Site ID: 00HTRW
00
Surface Disposal Area
Cost
$1.79M
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2021
Contaminated Areas
Soil: High Risk
Surface/near surface contamination detected at several areas. Also possibility for contaminates to migrate with surface runoff into ocean (soil contamination identified near top of slope at former dump site). Potential for animals living on island to be exposed. Indirect human exposure may be via surface runoff directly into Naragansett Bay (most contamination detected at disposal area near waters edge).
Contaminants: 2-Methylnaphthalene 0.53 mg/kg Naphthalene 1.1 mg/kg Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 1.4 mg/kg Dibenz[ah]anthracene 1.7 mg/kg Carbazole 2.6 mg/kg Fluorene 2.9 mg/kg Acenaphthene 3.3 mg/kg Cadmium and compounds 3.5 mg/kg Benzo[k]fluoranthene 4.4 mg/kg Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene 6.8 mg/kg Anthracene 7.1 mg/kg Chrysene 11.0 mg/kg Benzo[a]pyrene 11.0 mg/kg Benz[a]anthracene 12.0 mg/kg Benzo[b]fluoranthene 13.0 mg/kg Pyrene 20.0 mg/kg Nitrate 21.3 mg/kg Fluoranthene 30.0 mg/kg Barium and compounds 80.0 mg/kg Arsenic 100.0 mg/kg Lead 820.0 mg/kg
Groundwater: Risk Not Evaluated
Sediment (Human): Risk Not Evaluated
Surface Water (Human): Risk Not Evaluated
1 Inactive Site
Sites where military cleanup actions are complete, according to the DOD. Note that this status does not necessarily mean the site is no longer hazardous, as many of these sites are put under long-term monitoring or other restrictions.
Site ID: 03OEW
GOULD ISLAND DISPOSAL AREA
Mixed Waste Area
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Aug 2009
Contaminated Areas
Soil: Medium Risk
Contaminants: Nitroglycerine 1200.0 mg/kg
Update (Dec. 5, 2017): We have changed the source of the installation cost data after being notified by the Department of Defense that they erroneously reported their own cost figures on the DERP website. We are now displaying the costs the department says are the most accurate available, from the Pentagon’s DERP database that we received in a FOIA request.
Note: The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD to prioritize the cleanup of sites.
Data: All data comes from the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and will be released soon at the ProPublica Data Store. Read our methodology »