Naval Air Development Center (8 Waste Areas)

Overview

The Naval Air Development Center, also known as the Naval Air Warfare Center, sits on 840 acres in Warminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Navy ran aircraft maintenance, firefighting training, and laboratory research there from 1944 until closing in September 1996. Those activities left behind paints, solvents, and waste oils that contaminated soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in October 1989.

More than 80 contaminants have been identified across groundwater, soil, sediment, surface water, and solid waste. Groundwater holds volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, benzene, and vinyl chloride, plus metals including arsenic, cadmium, and manganese. Soil contains heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides like DDT and dieldrin. Stream sediments draining the base carry metals, PAHs, and pesticides as well. PFAS, including PFOS and PFOA, have also been found at the site, with some private drinking water wells testing above applicable standards.

The Navy leads cleanup under a Federal Facilities Agreement signed in 1990 with EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. All soil remedies are in place. Groundwater extraction and treatment systems have been running since 1996 in some areas and since 1998 and 1999 in others, targeting TCE, PCE, and carbon tetrachloride. Between 1993 and 1994, the Navy and EPA connected more than 60 off-base homes to public water after TCE and PCE showed up in private wells. Homes affected by PFAS are being provided alternate water supplies while public water connections are completed. Granular activated carbon units have been added to treat PFAS in groundwater. Groundwater migration is not yet stabilized and cleanup goals have not been fully achieved, though human exposures are assessed as under control.

A PFAS remedial investigation was completed in March 2023. A second phase is estimated for late 2027, followed by a feasibility study. The most recent five-year review was completed in November 2021, and the next is scheduled between November 2026 and January 2027. The site has not been deleted from the National Priorities List.

Community members can attend Technical Review Committee meetings held twice a year, which are open to the public and cover site conditions and cleanup progress. Details about the committee and the Administrative Record are available through the Naval Air Warfare Center website. Physical records are also kept at the Bucks County Library in Doylestown and at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia.