I will begin with a short discussion of the mission and operations at Fallon followed by some remarks on items I know are of special interest to the Committee members. I will then be happy to entertain questions. Let me assure the Committee members that the United States Navy is committed to public health and assisting this continuing investigation in any way possible. One of the cases in question is the child of a military member stationed at Fallon and three fourths of our base population of 7200 personnel and their family members live off base. The Navy's Bureau of Medicine has just completed an extensive screen of Naval Cancer cases which might be related to being stationed at Fallon. Their review of over 12 million records from 1997 to the present revealed just the one Navy case already identified. The Navy is also committed to exploring the Expert Panel's Population Mixing Theory and has shared data on transient activity at NAS Fallon with the State. While further examination of similar demographic data in other military locales (i.e. small isolated communities near military bases with large numbers of transients in training) would appear prudent, it will take a coordinated effort by the entire Depart of Defense to conduct such a study.
As many of you know, NAS Fallon has been in operation since 1942. The focus of the base was squadron level air-to-ground combat training until 1984, when the Navy established the Naval Strike Warfare Center ("Strike University") and began focusing on training entire air wings (1500 personnel and 70 aircraft) in an integrated fashion. The mid-eighties also saw the development of the Fallon Range Complex - an instrumented Military Operating Area flown over 6.5 million acres East of Fallon. The majority of the land we fly over is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, as the Navy only directly controls 204,000 acres. The third major change in the mid-eighties was the outsourcing of many of the functions on the base, which is reflected in our current percentage of contractors (55%). 1996 saw
the consolidation of all graduate level aviation flight programs at Fallon with the arrival of "Topgun" and "Topdome" from Southern California and the establishment of a senior two-star Flag officer on the base as Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, or NSAWC. As NSAWC, I report directly to the Chief of Naval Operations and provide oversight for training of approximately 55,000 sailors a year. The base has conducted an average of 40,000 flights a year for the past five years, with a four to five percent increase over that time. The investment in NAS Fallon since 1984 has been almost $300 million dollars.
I would like to discuss some of our specific operating issues as they might pertain to this investigation. First, the consolidation of all of our training here in 1996 did not appreciably change the way we conduct operations. We fly the same aircraft and the number of flights has only increased by four to five percent. In fact, our two biggest years in terms of flight generation at NAS Fallon occurred in 1990 and 1991 in preparation for Operation's Desert Shield/Storm. The type of flight training NSAWC conducts has remained unchanged, particularly from an environmental perspective.
Second, NAS Fallon's Environmental, Safety, Operations and Weapons Departments are responsible for the administration of all of our environmentally sensitive materials. For anything we use, there's a program for safely handling and disposing of it where applicable. We follow guidelines established by Federal, State, Department of Defense and the US Navy and arguably more heavily regulated than the private sector. Programs such as Fuel Handling, Air Emissions, Hazardous Materials Disposal, Electromagnetic Radiation Effects and Installation Restoration are all inspected on a regular basis and have received high marks for compliance. We have shared the details of each program with the State Health Division and Expert Panel and are prepared to do the same with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry when they visit next week.
Third, NAS Fallon's drinking water supply services the 3000 personnel who work on the base and up to 2000 transients at any one time. It is separate from the City of Fallon's but taps the same Basalt Aquifer with the resultant water chemistry being identical. The base tests our water supply routinely and also monitors for contamination of the 8000 acres of base property through the use of 218 environmental monitoring wells. No DoD activity related contaminants have ever been detected in the Basalt aquifer or leaving base property. While the State and Select Panel investigations have not established a link between Fallon water arsenic levels and the Leukemia cluster, these levels are a matter of concern to the Navy. We are working on a joint DoD/City of Fallon water treatment facility.
My detailed written statement previously submitted for the record contains further information on NAS Fallon activity as it might relate to this investigation. It also lists points of contact for additional information if required. Thank you for your attention. I will now entertain any questions.
The following paragraphs are designed to provide the reader with background on operational activity at NAS Fallon, NV as it relates to the environment in general and the leukemia cluster in specific. The Navy is committed to public health and will assist the State led investigation in any way desired. Specific points of contact are listed for further detail if required.
1. Military Training Activity at Fallon with Possible Environmental Consequences
A. Fuels
(1) NAS Fallon's fuel is supplied by the Kinder-Morgan Company of Sparks, NV, through a 70 mile pipeline. The pipeline is cathodically protected with induced current and monitored. It is also visually inspected by air weekly, visually inspected by truck bi-weekly and kept under pressure even when fuel is not being pumped so as to monitor for leakage. No leaks have ever been detected. The point of contact at Kinder-Morgan is Mr. Girard Gonyeau at 775-358-6971.
(2) Spills. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection strictly regulates fuel spills. There are reporting requirements for spills over 25 gallons, spills that contaminate three cubic yards of soil, or spills of any amount that contaminate surface water.
(3) More than 95% of fuel spills are confined to paved areas on the flightline, runways or taxiways. The average spill is about 15 gallons, and there have been an average of sixty of those per year over the last ten years. Spills on paved areas are cleaned-up immediately using absorbent pads or absorbent media. Spills on soil are cleaned by excavating and subsequent proper disposal of the contaminated soil. These procedures and amount of spillage are similar to procedures and amounts at any commercial airport with a similar operating tempo.
(4) The largest spill in the last five years was approximately 400 gallons. The spill resulted from a break in an underground fuel delivery pipeline. All soil contaminated by the spill was excavated and transported to an authorized treatment facility near Mustang, NV.
(5) Fuel venting. This is also heavily regulated. We must report all incidents and must vent fuel above 6000 feet above ground level. Above 6000 feet, 99% of fuel is vaporized. Fuel may be vented/jettisoned below 6000 feet only in an actual aircraft emergency. The last 15 years worth of data show an average yearly vent of 3.5 occurrences above 6000 feet (1500 gallons total). There have been three occurrences in 15 years where fuel was vented below 6000 feet (800 gallons total) - each was east of the base on BLM property and nowhere near population centers (the nearest settlement East/Southeast of the base is Middlegate Station located 32 miles East/Southeast.
(6) Aircraft mishaps (crashes). Of the 12 mishaps in the last 15 years, nine were in the operating area on BLM land or on Navy property, the remaining three were on private property. Ten of 12 had fire associated with the crash that consumed residual fuel. State Health department personnel have determined that there were no long term environmental impacts from any of those events.
B. Air Emissions
(1) NAS Fallon has just completed an extensive modeling effort for base air emissions endorsed by the State Environmental Division. The modeling shows that NAS Fallon meets all Nevada ambient air quality standards.
(2) The base has many detailed reports on the composition of jet exhaust, which varies by type of aircraft. Each of these is monitored by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and United States Environmental Protection Agency to assure public safety. While the quantities of materials released into the atmosphere vary according to aircraft type, they essentially involve a mix of the following five: Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulfur Oxide, Hydrocarbons and Particulate Matter, each of which are relatively common at most industrial sites, particularly airports. The total amount of all contaminants released into the atmosphere equates to 1500 parts per million per day at an average operating tempo (1 15 flights per day). This equates to approximately half that of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Commercial "Jet-A" fuel is composed of the same basic materials and burns in an almost identical fashion to that of military "JP-8", the primary difference being the addition of an anti-icing agent in JP-8.
(3) The fire department open burns approximately 30,000 gallons of jet fuel per year in training permitted under the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Bureau of Air Quality. The fuel is burned no more than four times per month and/or two times in any week. When it occurs is also dependent on the winds, which must be blowing at least five knots from the West to avoid blowing the smoke towards the community. The chemicals contained in fire smoke are roughly twice that contained in jet engine exhausts. The total amount released into the atmosphere equates to 1/1000th of that released by the jet traffic at the airfield. Other fire departments around the country routinely burn fuel for training.
C. Other Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Other HAZMATs (cleaning solvents, paints, pesticides, photo processing, vehicle fluids, etc.) are routinely used on base. An extensive HAZMAT handling facility and program is managed by the NAS Fallon Supply Department with oversight from the Industrial Hygiene Office, the Safety Office, the Environmental Office and the Weapons Department. All hazardous waste generated by station operations is sent to permitted treatment, storage and disposal facilities. Details are available from the NAS Fallon Supply Officer, CDR Troy Brannon, 426-2750, or NAS Fallon Environmental Division Head, Mr. Doug Bonham at 426-2772.
D. Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Hazards
(1) A survey of electromagnetic radiation hazard for NAS Fallon is conducted approximately every three years by the Department of Defense Inspector General Office. No significant hazards of electromagnetic radiation to personnel situations were detected on the Naval Air Station. The systems used at NAS Fallon include aircraft navigational aids, radar for aircraft and weather, radios, cell phones, electronic warfare (EW) equipment and aircraft. Equipment used at NAS Fallon adhere to the DOD radio frequency safety standards and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers recommended practice for the measurement of potentially hazardous electromagnetic fields and microwave. (The standard developed by representatives of industry, government agencies, scientific communities and the public.)
(2) Standard operating procedures are used to protect Navy personnel and the public from EMR hazards. These procedures include setting the height and angle of transmission to avoid direct exposure, posting warning signs, activating warning lights when the radar are operational, and/or securing sites with fencing. EMR from EW systems is the same type as emitted by cell phones, hand-held radios, walkie- talkies, commercial radio, and television stations. EMR from a typical EW site averages less and 0.325 milliwatts per square centimeter; EMR from a cell phone is 1.19 milliwatts per square centimeter. Other sources of EMR include navigation aids and radar. These systems are the same or similar to civilian navigation aids and radars at airports, TV weather stations, and aircraft navigation aids throughout the United States. All systems have safety limits to prevent potential hazard. Measures are also in place to prevent hazards from EMR emitted by military aircraft. The majority of EMR is emitted in the training airspace east of the Naval Air Station.
E. Depleted Uranium (DU) Ammunition. Depleted uranium is the inert, low-radioactivity uranium which remains after more-radioactive isotopes have been separated from natural uranium or spent reactor fuel. DU is used globally in private industry as radiation shielding, ballast and counterweights in commercial and military aircraft. The U.S. Military continues to use DU projectiles because of their extraordinary effectiveness as anti-armor munitions. Chemically and toxically, DU is no different than the natural uranium found in air, soil and water everywhere on earth. DU ammunition has never been used, nor is it authorized for any of the Fallon ranges.
F. Chaff
(1) Radio Frequency (RF) chaff is a glass fiber substrate with a thin coating of aluminum. Typical chaff rounds contain 200,000 fibers (.001 inches in diameter) and weigh five ounces. Chaff is expended on our ranges east of Fallon to train aircrew on vital defensive countermeasures when encountering enemy surface-to-air missiles. As a chaff bundle is deployed from an aircraft, it "blossoms" to attract or decoy the enemy radar. The fibers will disperse with the prevailing wind.
(2) Historical concerns about chaff have revolved around its potential harm to the environment. In March 2000, an independent study on the environmental effects of RF chaff by a team of research scientists from various universities concluded that existing chaff systems are environmentally benign and not a health hazard. The chemical composition is very similar to that of desert dust. A copy of this report is available from the NSAWC Range Department, LCDR Lynn Tawney at (775) 426-2108.
(3) The total amount of chaff expended on the Fallon ranges amounts to 1/4 ounce per acre per year. This amount is several orders of magnitude less than EPA standards for dust, vehicle exhaust, power generation and industry.
2. Installation Restoration (JR! Program
A. A site investigation to determine the nature and extent of possible contamination at NAS Fallon was begun in 1988. Past practices had resulted in contamination by fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel; solvents containing PCE and TCE; and landfills containing garbage, trash, and demolished building materials including asbestos. Fuels and solvents have contaminated the shallow groundwater (between 4' to 10' below ground surface) beneath portions of the base. Over 100 wells are systematically sampled to monitor these contaminants and ensure that the contaminants are controlled before they could effect human health or the environment. The program is designed to prevent contaminated groundwater from leaving the base boundary and to date none has.
B. The City of Fallon and the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe pump drinking water from the deep basalt aquifer near Rattlesnake Hill, over seven miles northwest of the base. Due to the nature of the groundwater system in the Carson desert and the location of NAS Fallon there is no possibility for the contamination beneath NAS Fallon to reach the drinking water supply used by the City, Navy and the tribe. The closest drinking water wells to the main base boundary belong to the Navy and they are located over three miles to the northwest of the base, which, is the southernmost point of the basalt aquifer. The water in the shallow aquifer (ground surface to 50 feet) underlying the base flows to the south away from drinking water supplies. The nearest settlement is 32 miles away.
C. For questions call John Dirickson at (775) 426-3184.
3. Water Information Update
A. The current EPA arsenic standard is 50 parts per billion (ppb). A new EPA arsenic standard was finalized at 10 ppb in January of 2001. The EPA Administrator has announced her intention to review the technical basis for the rule and to extend the effective date for it. NAS Fallon and the city share the same basalt aquifer water source with resultant naturally occurring arsenic levels of 90- 110 ppb. An EPA Notice of Violation was issued to NAS Fallon in January 2000 to reduce the amount of arsenic in the base's drinking water system. In September of 2000 the EPA issued an administrative order requiring NAS Fallon to meet at least the current 50 ppb maximum contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water by late 2004. NAS Fallon has three wells that are each approximately 500 feet deep. The water chemistry for the NAS Fallon wells and the City of Fallon wells is essentially the same.
B. Arsenic treatment is required for the City of Fallon in 2003 and NAS Fallon in 2004. NAS Fallon is conducting pilot studies to select the best treatment technology. A joint NAS/City effort to construct a water treatment facility is under consideration. Interim measures at NAS Fallon consist of:
(1) Free Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) filtered water available at 37 locations on base. All units are tested twice annually to ensure we meet drinking water standards for arsenic (the R.O. units routinely test to less than 1 ppb for arsenic).
(2) Commercial bottled water is available in work spaces and at the Child Development Center.
(3) A free bottled water machine is available 24-hours a day in the Sierra House of the BOQ.
(4) Free water testing can be obtained by military members not living in base housing or on the city water system.
(5) R. O. filtered water systems will be installed in base housing commencing approximately 1 May, 2001.
C. The point of contact for water issues is Mr. Mark Jones (775) 426-2785.