Cleaning Up Military Stations

MCAS El Toro Moves Into Action

Marine Corps Air Force (MCAS) El Toro in Orange County, CA. has investigated effective ways to clean up the Station to support eventual closure and reuse of the property.

At many military stations across the United States the Department of Defense is cleaning up its hazardous waste sites in accordance with the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), and the closing of the Marine Corps Air Force Station (MCAS) El Toro is no exception. In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Responsibility and Liability Act, which states all federal agencies need to comply with environmental cleanup, Lieutenant Matt Morgan states in an interview with LASN, "The Marine Corps will clean up the property." An estimated 6,000 pounds of trichloroethylene, or TCE, are contained in the soil under two aircraft hangars, the primary source of contamination. Many cleanup alternatives are under review by the regulatory agencies and the Restoration Advisory Board. The ground water extends three miles under a residential area in Orange County, however, the pollution has not yet affected the drinking water and poses no threat to human health, states Morgan.