Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (USNAVY)

Overview

Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a 1,627-acre Navy-owned site in Mineral County, West Virginia. It has operated since 1943 for research, development, and testing of solid propellants and rocket motors. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1994. About 400 acres of the developed portion sits within the floodplain of the North Branch Potomac River.

Contamination affects soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. More than 80 chemical substances have been identified. Chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride are widespread. Metals including arsenic, lead, chromium, and mercury are found in soil and groundwater. Explosives-related compounds such as HMX, RDX, nitroglycerin, and perchlorate are present in soil. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin appear in soil and sediment at former burning ground areas. The Navy is also investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including PFOA and PFOS, tied to firefighting foam use at the site.

The Navy leads cleanup under a Federal Facilities Agreement signed in January 1998 with EPA and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. EPA has signed Records of Decision for 12 of the 15 operable units. Active cleanup methods include pump-and-treat systems, a landfill cap with a permeable reactive barrier, soil excavation, ultraviolet oxidation, air stripping, bioremediation, and monitored natural attenuation. Several on-site water supply wells were shut down to prevent exposure to contaminated groundwater. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions and prohibitions on residential development and groundwater use, are in place across multiple areas. Human exposure to contaminants is currently assessed as under control, though physical construction of cleanup work is not yet complete across the entire site and groundwater migration status remains uncertain due to incomplete data.

Several operable units have finished remediation, including the Site 5 Landfill Contents in 1997, Site 10 Production Well A in 2013, Site 5 Groundwater in 2014, Site 1 Groundwater in 2015, and Site 1 Soils in 2022. Two operable units, Site 12 and Range Road, do not yet have formal decision documents, with Records of Decision estimated for mid-2028. A five-year review was completed in September 2023, and the next is scheduled for 2028.

Community members can stay involved through the Navy's updated Community Involvement Plan, last revised in February 2019 and expected to be updated again by the end of 2025. The plan provides opportunities for public input at key cleanup stages. The Administrative Record is available at Fort Ashby Public Library in West Virginia, Washington Street Public Library in Cumberland, Maryland, and EPA Region 3 in Philadelphia. Appointments are recommended before visiting any of those locations.