Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard

Overview

Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard is a 113-acre shipbuilding and repair facility about six miles southeast of downtown Baltimore. It has operated since 1910, and past activities left soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 2002.

The site has 21 confirmed contaminants of concern spread across four areas. The former burn pit holds the widest variety, including arsenic, lead, mercury, benzene, and benzo[a]pyrene. The bilge slop area contains 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), arsenic, and lead. The salvage lot has lead, chloroform, and PCBs. People could be exposed by touching, ingesting, or breathing in contaminants, or by eating contaminated fish. Fishing restrictions apply to Penniman Lake and Youth Pond. The U.S. Coast Guard is also investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including PFOA and PFOS, which were used in firefighting foam.

The U.S. Coast Guard leads cleanup under a Federal Facilities Agreement signed with EPA in September 2008. The site is divided into six operable units. Five have completed initial remedial actions, with construction finishing in August 2013. Those five units were resolved through no further action decisions, five-year reviews, or land use controls that prohibit residential development, childcare facilities, schools, playgrounds, and certain excavation. The sixth unit, the Grove Dump Site, is still under a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study that began in June 2021, with a record of decision estimated for late 2027 to early 2028.

Current assessments show human exposure is under control across the entire site, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways exist right now. However, groundwater migration status remains uncertain due to insufficient data on contaminated groundwater movement. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List, and cleanup goals for current and future land uses have not all been met. Land use controls are not yet fully in place. Long-term groundwater monitoring continues, and the Coast Guard conducts five-year reviews. The most recent review took place in June 2024, with the next scheduled for 2028.

Community members can get involved through EPA's Community Involvement Program. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains an Administrative Record available online and at two local libraries: Brooklyn Park Community Library in Baltimore and Anne Arundel County Public Library North County Area Branch in Glen Burnie. Questions can be directed to EPA's Remedial Project Manager or the Coast Guard's Remedial Project Manager.