DEP and military set to clean up BOMARC
Series of open houses
reveal details of
plans to the public
Officials from the 305th Air Mobility Wing held a series of open houses recently to discuss the proposed cleanup of the Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) missile accident site in Plumsted Township.
The BOMARC missile site was home to nuclear ground-to-air missiles from 1959 to 1972.
In 1960, a fire involving one of the missiles left the site contaminated with low-level radioactive waste, which was capped with concrete to prevent further spread of contamination.
In 1992, the Air Force announced a decision to clean up the site.
The open houses held earlier this month featured poster stations designed to explain all aspects of the cleanup project. Representatives of the 305th Air Mobility Wing were on hand to talk about the project with members of the public. A total of six public sessions were held in Jackson, Manchester, Lakehurst and Plumsted.
According to Air Force representatives, BOMARC was a Cold War-era Air Force nuclear missile site. The missiles were supersonic ground-to-air weapons designed to destroy attacking airplanes and airborne missiles.
The facility in Plumsted was one of eight that are located throughout the country. The Air Force operated this facility from 1959 to 1972.
On June 7, 1960, a fire destroyed a missile equipped with nuclear warheads in Shelter 204 at the BOMARC facility.
Although no nuclear explosion occurred, the fire badly damaged the missile and shelter and caused the release of radioactive plutonium into the environment.
Heat from the fire and fire-suppression activities caused the plutonium to spread over a 7-acre area in front of the shelter, along a drainage ditch and a portion of a drainage creek near Route 539.
Protective measures taken after the fire included washing down the apron area and spraying paint to affix contamination. Two inches of asphalt were poured along the bottom of the drainage ditch.
In 1967, an additional 2-inch layer of concrete was added to the small portion of the apron area.
Beginning this spring, the Air Force will remove about 12,500 cubic yards of soil and 440 cubic yards of building debris, concrete and asphalt from the BOMARC site. The material will be transported via truck through Fort Dix and Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, then by rail to Utah for disposal in a Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed facility.
The Air Force, Army and Navy, along with the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, are working cooperatively to ensure that plans for the removal, transportation and disposal of the contaminated materials meet or exceed regulatory requirements.
The truck route minimizes travel near wetlands, homes, buildings and recreational and congested areas.
The Air Force cleanup will be conducted under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act.
Because radioactive materials are involved, the cleanup must also meet guidelines in the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual.
According to Air Force representatives, the BOMARC cleanup plan protects against the possibility of breathing in or ingesting plutonium and meets or exceeds requirements for worker safety protection and human health and the environment.
Water will be used to suppress dust and air-monitoring systems will be installed at the site and the rail transfer area. The shelters will be covered during demolition.
Soil piles will be covered and workers will wear protective clothing and equipment.
The soil and debris will be loaded into plastic-lined steel containers which will eliminate the potential for radiation exposure to the public. The containers will be labeled, closed, sealed, cleaned and inspected before being moved. They will remain sealed until they reach their destination in Utah.
A "clean zone" will contain contamination to the immediate area of the excavation. Trucks, containers and equipment will be monitored for contamination and decontaminated before leaving the BOMARC facility.
Many safety precautions have been set up in the event that there is an accident while the material is in the rail transfer area. The driver of the vehicle will call for emergency response and contact the on-site project manager.
The escort vehicle will be equipped with a spill kit containing personal protective equipment, plastic sheeting, water for dust control, absorbent material, caution tape and barricades.
An isolation area of 300 feet or more will be set up. Emergency medical services support will come from Community Medical Center, Ocean County.
Finally, the Air Force contractor will provide equipment for cleanup and decontamination of vehicles at Toms River Community Hospital, and bioenvironmental engineers at McGuire Air Force Base will provide secondary monitoring.
After the excavation is complete, the Air Force contractor will perform final radiation surveys. The Air Force must verify that the site is clean. Once that has been determined, the contractor will backfill the excavated area with clean soil.
For more information on the BOMARC cleanup, visit the Internet Web site at http://www.mcguire.af.mil or contact the 305th Air Mobility Wing at (609) 754-6855.