Marine Corps Combat Development Command is a 56,000-acre military facility near Quantico, Virginia, about 30 miles south of Washington, D.C. It has operated since 1917 and was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in May 1994. The site is divided into 49 operable units covering distinct contaminated areas, from former landfills and rifle ranges to unexploded ordnance fields and fire training areas. Site-wide construction has not been completed, and the site remains on the National Priorities List.
Decades of military activity contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Contaminants include metals such as lead, arsenic, and chromium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticide residues including DDT and dieldrin, volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene and vinyl chloride, PCBs, and mercury. Unexploded ordnance is present in multiple areas, including the Lunga Reservoir recreation area, which is currently closed to the public. The Navy is also investigating PFAS compounds, specifically PFOA and PFOS, likely introduced through firefighting foam. The Virginia Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories for the Potomac River and its tributaries on the site.
The Department of the Navy leads cleanup under a 1999 Federal Facilities Agreement with the EPA. That agreement identified 228 potential contamination sites. Currently, 26 are being actively addressed under Superfund. Cleanup methods in use include soil excavation and capping, dredging, bioremediation, groundwater treatment, and long-term monitoring. Institutional controls and land use restrictions limit exposure where contamination remains. Several areas have been completed, including the Old Landfill, Former Rifle Range, and portions of the Quantico Waterways. The EPA completed its most recent five-year review in June 2023, finding that completed remedies are protective and ongoing remedies are expected to be protective once finished. The next five-year review is estimated for mid-2028.
Human exposure at the site is assessed as under control, though groundwater migration status remains uncertain due to insufficient data. The Marine Corps has posted signage along nearby waterways to alert recreational users to fish consumption advisories. The Lunga Recreation Area remains closed due to unexploded ordnance hazards, but the Marine Corps intends to reopen it for camping, fishing, picnicking, boating, and outdoor events once munitions removal is complete.
Marine Corps Base Quantico has a Community Involvement Plan in place. The Navy maintains an Administrative Record with documents on site decisions and actions. That record can be viewed in person at John Musante Porter Memorial Library in Stafford, the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Branch at Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Chinn Park Regional Library in Prince William. EPA Region 3 in Philadelphia also holds records, available by appointment at (215) 814-2396. Community members with questions can contact the project managers for the EPA, the Navy, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, or the Marine Corps Base Quantico Coordinator.
