FORMERLY USED DEFENSE SITE INSTALLATION ID: VA39799F169700
WALLOPS FLIGHT FACILITY
wallops island, Virginia
Cost So Far
$13.8M
Money already spent on the evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites.
Expected Additional Cost
$30.6M
The estimated amount of money needed for evaluation and cleanup of hazardous sites at this installation.
Expected Completion Date
2056
The date by which the DOD estimates cleanup of all sites will be complete. Long term monitoring may continue after this date.
The Wallops Island site is 7,483-acres located on Route 175 in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore, near Chincoteague, Virginia. The facility was fully developed during World War II as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The WFF currently consists of... see more » The Wallops Island site is 7,483-acres located on Route 175 in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore, near Chincoteague, Virginia. The facility was fully developed during World War II as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The WFF currently consists of three physically separated parcels (Sectors) on which facilities have been constructed: Main Base, Wallops Island, and Mainland. The acreage for Chincoteague Naval Auxiliary Air Station (CNAAS) and Naval Aviation Ordnance Test Station (NAOTS) and improvement thereon, are referred to as the Main Base. The CNAAS airfield was used as a training facility for naval aviation units and for anti-submarine operations. The airfield was commissioned 5 March 1943 and was originally known as the CNAAS. NAOTS was established by the BuOrd at CNAAS on 26 January 1946 to provide a test range and training for personnel to test, modify, and develop guided missiles, aircraft weapons, and aviation fire control equipment. NAOTS was commissioned as part of a joint command on 15 April 1946. On 1 January 1950, the CNAAS was redesignated as a Naval Air Facility (NAF). The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) facility on Wallops Island was originally known as the Pilotless Aircraft Research Station (PARS) from 1945 to 1957, Wallops Station from 1958 to 1974, and the Wallops Flight Center from 1975 to 1981. NAOTS and NACA signed an agreement for joint use of Wallops Island, north and south of the North 37� 51' 54" latitude respectively, through 1959. The current users of the site are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Navy. (Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) « see less
17 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.
7 Active Sites
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: 15HTRW
ACTIVE REMEDIATION PROJECTS
Unknown Site Type
Cost
$180K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2017
Contaminated Areas
Sediment (Fresh): Risk Not Evaluated
Site ID: 06HTRW
NAOTS WI CANTONMENT AREA
Maintenance Yard
Cost
$36K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Mar 2016
Contaminated Areas
Sediment (Fresh): Risk Not Evaluated
Site ID: 07OEW
BOAT BASIN/VISITORS INFORMATION CENTER
Munitions Burial
Cost
$90K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2016
Site ID: 11HTRW
MAIN BASE AREAS OF INTEREST
Unknown Site Type
Cost
$123K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2016
Contaminated Areas
Sediment (Fresh): Risk Not Evaluated
Site ID: 12CON/HTRW
POL STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION
Unknown Site Type
Cost
$34K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2016
Site ID: 19HTRW
MOA WITH NASA
Contaminated Ground Water
Cost
$30.8M
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2056
Site ID: 13HTRW
SEWAGE TREATMENT FACILITIES
Sewage Treatment Plant
Cost
$86K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Jan 2016
Contaminated Areas
Sediment (Fresh): Risk Not Evaluated
10 Inactive Sites
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: 04OEW
MACHINE GUN & ROCKET FIRING AREA
Agreement With Another Agency
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Mar 2012
Site ID: 05OEW
GREBE RANGE ET AL
Agreement With Another Agency
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2012
Site ID: 14OEW
REGULUS LAUNCH AREA
Unexploded Munitions and Ordnance Area
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Mar 2014
Site ID: 17PRP/HTRW
MAIN BASE SECTOR
Agreement With Another Agency
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Dec 2014
Site ID: 02HTRW
ORIGINAL SITEWIDE RI/FS
Landfill
Cost
$66K
Cost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2015
Contaminated Areas
Groundwater: High Risk
There is a potential for contaminants in groundwater to impact the surface water in the marshes, as well as the water supply wells. The unconfined (Columbia) aquifer impacted by contaminants is a source of drinking water on the island; it could also impact the water in the marshes.
Contaminants: Nickel (soluble salts) 22.0 ug/L Lead 33.0 ug/L Copper and compounds 58.0 ug/L Vanadium and compounds 93.0 ug/L Chromium 94.0 ug/L Zinc 177.0 ug/L Arsenic 201.0 ug/L Barium and compounds 401.0 ug/L Maneb 513.0 ug/L Aluminum 64300.0 ug/L Iron 75400.0 ug/L
Soil: Medium Risk
Contaminants could become aqueous and impact same receptors as groundwater. As above.
Contaminants: Mercury (Inorganic) 0.21 mg/kg Copper and compounds 2.64 mg/kg Maneb 3.28 mg/kg Arsenic 3.85 mg/kg Barium and compounds 12.2 mg/kg Chromium 15.3 mg/kg Lead 19.1 mg/kg Vanadium and compounds 19.9 mg/kg Aluminum 5560.0 mg/kg Iron 12800.0 mg/kg
Sediment (Human): Risk Not Evaluated
Surface Water (Human): Risk Not Evaluated
Site ID: 09OEW
MAIN BASE RANGES
Agreement With Another Agency
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Aug 2012
Site ID: 08HTRW
BOAT BASIN AREA
Unknown Site Type
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Sep 2012
Contaminated Areas
Sediment (Fresh): Risk Not Evaluated
Site ID: 10OEW
PRACTICE BOMBING TARGET
Air to Land
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Mar 2014
Site ID: 01CON/HTRW
CONTAINERIZED HAZARDOUS, TOXIC AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE - UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS CLOSURE - NDAI
Underground Storage Tanks
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Aug 2007
Site ID: 03OEW
GUNBOAT PT, STRAFING TRGT, EOD AREA
Agreement With Another Agency
Cost
Unknown
Final Cleanup Action
Mar 2012
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 »