McGuire Air Force Base #1

Overview

McGuire Air Force Base is an active 3,500-acre military facility in Burlington County, New Jersey. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in October 1999 because of contamination from past waste management practices. The U.S. Air Force and EPA signed a Federal Facility Agreement in September 2009 to guide cleanup. The site is divided into ten operable units, each targeting a distinct contaminated area.

Contaminants found across the base include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride, along with heavy metals like nickel, mercury, lead, and arsenic. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and semivolatile compounds have also been detected in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), specifically perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from firefighting foam used since 1970, were confirmed at 11 on-base areas in a site investigation completed in January 2019. Off-base sampling of 30 private wells found PFOS and PFOA in only one well, at levels below New Jersey standards, and follow-up quarterly testing of that well showed no detections. A remedial investigation into the full extent of PFAS contamination is ongoing.

Three operable units have formal cleanup decisions in place. Operable Unit 1, covering two landfills and a former storage yard, received its Record of Decision in August 2021 and has completed construction, with groundwater and surface water sampling now underway. Operable Unit 3, the Landfill Area, has two decisions, the most recent from September 2024, and remedial action is underway with an estimated completion between September and November 2026. Operable Unit 4, the Bulk Fuel Storage and Fire Training Area, received its decision in April 2022 and remedial action is underway, with completion estimated between September and November 2028. Seven operable units do not yet have formal cleanup decisions. Two units are still in investigative studies with no completion dates posted. Human exposure and groundwater migration control status have not yet been determined due to insufficient data, and the site is not ready for its anticipated use.

Institutional controls limit certain land uses, such as residential development, to reduce exposure risks while cleanup continues. Documents for the site are held in the Administrative Record on the Department of the Air Force website and can also be reviewed in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center in New York or at the Burlington County Library in Westampton, New Jersey.

Community members can get involved through the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), which meets quarterly and brings together the Air Force, regulatory agencies, and the public. For meeting details or general cleanup information, contact JB MDL Public Affairs at 609-754-2104 or visit the JB MDL website.