George Air Force Base covers 5,347 acres in San Bernardino County, near Victorville and Adelanto, California. It operated as a military installation from the 1940s until closing in December 1992. Aircraft maintenance, firefighting training, and other military operations released hazardous materials into the soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in February 1990, and a Federal Facilities Agreement was signed in October 1990 by EPA, the state of California, and the Air Force.
At least 84 contaminated sites have been identified across the base. Groundwater contains trichloroethene (also called trichloroethylene or TCE), tetrachloroethene, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, jet fuel, nitrates, and pesticides. Soil holds total petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxins, pesticides, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, semi-volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals including lead, mercury, cadmium, and others. Groundwater migration has been stabilized, meaning contaminated groundwater is no longer spreading in an uncontrolled way. However, whether unacceptable human exposure pathways currently exist has not yet been determined due to insufficient data.
The Air Force is the lead cleanup agency, with oversight from EPA and California's Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Cleanup is organized into several operable units (OUs). OU-1 targets a TCE groundwater plume in the northeast area that extends off-base. A pump-and-treat system ran from 1992 to 2003 but worsened TCE migration and was shut down. The Air Force is now developing an updated remedy that may include monitored natural attenuation and enhanced reductive dechlorination. OU-3 covers landfills and disposal sites. A 2021 Record of Decision Amendment shifted that remedy to focus on institutional controls, five-year reviews, and excavation with offsite disposal. OU-5 addressed soil sources and former skeet ranges, with those ranges cleared for unlimited use and no further action needed.
The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2021. Several removal actions remain ongoing, with estimated completion between September and November 2026. Construction completion is estimated for May through July 2028, and a Record of Decision Amendment is estimated for September through November 2027. The site has not been deleted from the National Priorities List. Most of the former base property is already in active reuse, hosting aviation businesses, manufacturing and distribution centers, a power plant, and a federal prison complex. Zoning and institutional controls prevent residential development and limit exposure to remaining contamination.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
