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History as it happens
Most of us know by now that the Mare Island Naval Shipyard is no longer a military base and that the Shipyard closed in 1996 after 143 years of building, repairing and overhauling ships and submarines. Thousands of local residents are part of Mare Islands long and distinguished history. What we may not know much about is the story unfolding now, history taking shape
during its transition to public and private use, as environmental cleanup work gets finished and property gets transferred.

The Mare Island Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) community members have been involved in the environmental restoration process since 1994. We would like to share a brief overview with the readers about whats been happening with the cleanup as Mare Island once again becomes an integral part of the City of Vallejo. We hope the following will give some insight.

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Major Milestone
When the shipyard closed in 1996, the assumption by many city officials was that any cleanup program would stretch over a course of 20 to 30 years for completion, derailing any substantial economic redevelopment. Many believed that some challenging sites such as the hazardous waste landfill area would lay stagnant indefinitely. With two history-making early transfers of property this year, cleanup of the entire shipyard is now projected to be finished by 2008 and reuse has already been jump-started. Although the process seems painfully slow and regulators are overworked with reams of documents to review and approve, the accomplishments are impressive.

Most notable is the removal of radiological contamination. The Navy spent $130 million to complete this project in the 2 years prior to base closure. The work is documented in a 37-volume report and can be found at the JFK Library in Vallejo. Also, vast areas once filled with ordnance or dumped ammunition and fuzes have been cleared. More than 75 underground fuel
storage tanks have been removed and large tracts of land having serious chemical contamination have been excavated. Asbestos remediation was finished to regulatory levels in 1998. The Navy has spent $88 million on these programs so far. The size of Mare Island and complexity of its past military use has been a challenge and much work has yet to be done. Site assessment, sampling and removal plans continue under the watchful eye of regulators and input by the public.

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How Clean Is Clean?

Land use defines how the cleanup progresses. Many stakeholders are involved, using the Reuse Plan that was developed by the City of Vallejo in 1994 as their guideline. Levels of clean are determined by many factors such as regulatory standards, types of contaminants and anticipated exposure, cleanup costs, State Lands statutes, and community acceptance. Residential use, for instance, requires more stringent standards those required for use
in an industrial area.

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What is Early Transfer
Accelerating cleanup of military bases so that property can be quickly converted to civilian use while protecting human health and safety and the environment, is an early transfer process authorized by Congress in 1998. A monumental partnering effort between the City of Vallejo, the Navy and the State of California began when they agreed to take advantage of this relatively new way of completing environmental cleanup and fast-tracking redevelopment at closed military bases.

Two of the Citys major developers, Lennar Mare Island and Weston Solutions, assumed cleanup responsibility for their respective parcels of land as defined by these agreements. Governor Davis signed the official transfer documents this year. To date, the Navy has delegated $77 million towards the Lennar early transfer parcel cleanup with $55.5 million more towards Westons parcel to be expended over the upcoming years.

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WHOS WHO?
Navy 
The Navy is the backbone of the environmental remediation for Mare Island and will retain responsibility for the cleanup well after it has been completed. Because they now hold the most challenging contaminated land, access to certain areas is limited and use restrictions are in place for many leased buildings. The Navy initially provides funding which is then contracted out for environmental studies, sampling and analysis, feasibility studies, work plans and cleanup actions. About $194 million has been spent or allocated since closure in 1996.

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Regulators
California State Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is the main regulatory agency for ensuring that environmental restoration standards are met by the Navy and developers performing cleanup work. DTSC approves all documents and is responsible for enforcement of land use restrictions and making sure the public is informed. The Regional Water Quality Control Board is the lead agency regulating petroleum related cleanups. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also monitors the process and reviews many of the documents.

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Developers
This year, 650 acres of Mare Island were transferred to Lennar Mare Island, the master developer for what is called the Eastern Early Transfer Parcel. Restoration work continues at the site with soil sampling and PCB remediation in this mixed use area. Several segments that now meet
unrestricted reuse criteria are being readied for residential construction. The Eastern parcel is expected to be cleaned to regulatory standards within the next 6 years.

Weston Solutions, Inc., an environmental engineering and redevelopment firm, was granted a long term lease in 2002 to remediate, redevelop and manage 350 acres of former Navy dredge ponds, now referred to as the Western Early Transfer Parcel, for permanent storage of Bay Area dredged material. When the ponds reach capacity, the land will be returned to a natural wildlife
habitat. As part of this transaction, Weston was contracted to complete cleanup of a 35-acre former landfill, industrial wastewater treatment facility, and waste oil/lead battery disposal areas. Others currently holding Mare Island property include the City of Vallejo, the State Lands Commission, the golf course owner, developers for Roosevelt Terrace and several Federal entities.

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State Lands Commission
State Lands Commission plays an important role in the cleanup picture. Certain parts of Mare Island reverted back to the people of California when the base closed, ending a military use agreement lasting 143 years with the US Government. The State Lands Commission insists on certain standards requiring environmental safety and public access on these lands before accepting the property back from the Navy. During 2002, the State leased most of the property, called reversionary lands, to the City of Vallejo, some of which was then subleased to Weston. The area includes 2800 acres of dredge ponds and wetlands located at the western shore.

As part of a land exchange with the State, another area to be handed over to the City when it becomes clean, is situated near the southern end where an ordnance (ammunition) manufacturing area was located and a shoreline where years of dumping ammunition overboard was the common practice of the time. A tremendous amount of ordnance removal work was previously conducted at this location from 1998 to 2000. The Navy is developing further investigation and remediation plans, projected to be ready for transfer by 2008.

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The Public and the RAB
The transition of Mare Island from a military base to civilian use has been a model for the rest of the nation. By participating in the environmental cleanup process, the RAB provides an opportunity for the public to be part of this important moment in history affecting future generations. RAB meetings continue to be a forum where the community, the Navy, State and
Federal regulators, City representatives and master developers converge.

Meetings are held regularly every month (usually the last Thursday) at the JFK Library in Vallejo with presentations and reports of key issues affecting the cleanup. The public is welcome to attend and learn more, and express your concerns. Detailed fact sheets describing specific remedial actions are available, as well as an enormous wealth of information in the JFK Library which is a repository for all public documents related to Mare Islands cleanup and reuse.

Contact Myrna Hayes, Community CoChair at 707-557-9816, or Michael Bloom, Navy CoChair at 619-532-0967 with any questions.

Community Members of the Mare Island Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)

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