Fort Detrick Area B Ground Water

Overview

Fort Detrick Area B is a 399-acre active Army installation in Frederick, Maryland. It served as the primary waste management and research site for Fort Detrick from the 1940s through the 1970s, when biological warfare research, chemical and radiological waste disposal, and testing all took place there. Because of groundwater contamination from those past activities, the site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in April 2009. The NPL is the EPA's list of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country.

The main contaminants in groundwater are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE). The Army is also investigating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). In the 1990s and 2000s, TCE turned up in residential drinking water wells at levels above safe limits. Affected residents along Shookstown Road and Montevue Lane were connected to public water by 1999, and residents along Kemp Lane were connected by 2017. Contaminated groundwater has not yet stabilized, and the EPA says human exposure cannot be concluded as controlled due to insufficient data.

The U.S. Army leads cleanup under its Installation Restoration Program, with EPA oversight to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Completed actions include removing chemical waste pits in Area B-11 between 2001 and 2004, capping six former landfill areas, removing contaminated soil at a former skeet range, and running a pilot study on VOC reduction technologies. A pump-and-treat system began operating in 2021. Three five-year reviews have been completed, most recently in June 2024. However, no final cleanup remedy has been selected, no Record of Decision has been jointly signed by EPA and the Army, and construction of the full cleanup is not complete.

The site is divided into two operable units: one covering the whole site and one focused on groundwater. A remedial investigation for the groundwater unit began in July 2010. Additional monitoring is planned for the northwestern and southwestern boundaries of the site.

Community members can get involved through the Fort Detrick Restoration Advisory Board, which meets quarterly. The 2025 meeting dates were March 5, June 11, September 10, and December 10. Board membership is open to the public, with preference given to those most affected by cleanup. To join or get meeting details, contact the Fort Detrick Public Affairs office at (301) 619-2018. Site documents are available at the C. Burr Artz Central Library in Frederick and at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia. Call (215) 814-2396 to schedule a review at the EPA office.