New Hanover County Airport Burn Pit

Overview

From 1968 to 1979, a 1,500-square-foot pit at the New Hanover County Airport was used to train firefighters. Each exercise burned 100 to 500 gallons of jet fuel, gasoline, and other materials. Contamination was found in pit sludge in 1985, and the EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989 due to contaminated groundwater. The nearest home sits about 1,100 feet west of the site.

Six contaminants were identified in groundwater: 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, chloroform, chromium, ethylbenzene, and lead. The contamination affected roughly nine million gallons of groundwater but stayed within the site boundary. After soil cleanup work in the 1990s, groundwater was the only remaining concern for human health and the environment.

The EPA issued a cleanup plan in 1993 calling for groundwater extraction and air stripping before discharging treated water to the local water treatment plant. In 2000, the plan was updated to add air sparging, a method that injects air underground to break down contaminants in place. Construction of these remedial actions ran from April 2002 to August 2003. Groundwater monitoring continued through 2011 to confirm the remedy stayed effective.

The EPA deleted the site from the NPL on September 20, 2012, after confirming all cleanup goals were met. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The most recent Five-Year Review, completed in 2013, found that cleanup actions remain protective of human health and the environment. The site is suitable for commercial and light industrial uses, and no further cleanup work or Five-Year Reviews are planned.

Community members who have questions about the site can reach EPA staff directly. The site profile page remains available for historical reference. Public notices and meetings were used throughout the cleanup process to keep residents informed and gather input.