The Naval Air Engineering Center covers 7,382 acres in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The U.S. Navy used it for research, maintenance, testing, and disposal starting in the 1920s. The Air Force took over in 2005. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in July 1987. Investigations in the late 1980s found contamination across 42 soil sites and groundwater areas.
Contaminants span groundwater, soil, sediment, and solid waste. Chlorinated solvents, including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride, appear in groundwater across multiple areas. Volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, and xylenes are found in both groundwater and soil. Metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic show up in soil and sediment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, total petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides including DDT, and Aroclor 1254 round out the list. In 2016, investigators also confirmed PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) throughout the site from firefighting foam used since 1970.
Cleanup is organized into 30 operable units. Construction on many soil cleanups finished by September 2004 using methods like soil removal, asphalt batching, and soil vapor extraction. Groundwater treatment systems using pumping, air sparging, and soil vapor extraction are active in several areas. An Air Sparging and Soil Vapor Extraction system has run in Areas A and B since July 2018. Areas I and J use Bimetallic Nanoscale Particle technology. Area H no longer runs its treatment system but is under monitoring. For PFAS, the Air Force replaced firefighting foam with PFOS- and PFOA-free alternatives. About 130 private wells off-base have been sampled, with 30 showing lower detections now included in monitoring. Two shallow on-base drinking water wells exceeded the 70 parts per trillion threshold, and a deep replacement well came online in April 2023. Work on PFAS, submarine bombing targets, and bombing target areas is estimated to continue through 2027 and 2028.
Human exposure is currently under control. Groundwater migration status remains uncertain due to insufficient data, and the site has not yet achieved sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse. The last five-year review, completed in August 2021, confirmed that response actions protect public health and the environment. The next review is due by September 2026.
Community members can get involved through the Restoration Advisory Board, which was set up to give the public a voice in cleanup decisions. More information is available at www.envirorestorejbmdl.com. EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, Steven Petrucelli, is also available for questions.
