The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is proposing “No Further Action” as the proposed decision for the Quarry Disposal Site (the site) located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island (see Figure 1). The “No Further Action” decision is being proposed in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
The site encompasses approximately 20 acres of forestland and is located within the former Quonset Point Naval Air Station (NAS). The former Quonset Point NAS operated from 1940 through 1974 as a naval training and support facility. The site was used for the disposal of unspecified waste while the installation was operational. The site was conveyed to the Rhode Island Port Authority (RIPA) and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in November 1978. Presently, the site is one of several land parcels being managed by the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC). Most of the future land use at the site is limited by a consent order requiring the property to remain undeveloped. A small portion of the site is proposed as general industrial land use.
The Quarry Disposal site is part of the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program because of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) past ownership and use. USACE is the lead agency for conducting investigations and other activities at the site under the FUDS program. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) is the support agency at this site. Activities conducted under the FUDS program must comply with the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan.
This Proposed Plan is being issued by USACE as part of its public participation responsibilities . The Proposed Plan fulfills the public participation requirements. The Proposed Plan is prepared for the public, identifies the proposed decision, and summarizes the site background and environmental investigation results for the Quarry Disposal site. These results can be found in greater detail in the Final Remedial Investigation (RI) Report for the Quarry Disposal site, Quonset Point Naval Air Station (Stell Environmental Enterprises, Inc. [Stell] 2021). CERCLA specifies that a plan must be published in a major local newspaper requesting public participation and comment. A public meeting and comment period will take place as detailed in the text box of page one of this Proposed Plan.
Since the decommissioning of the Quonset Point NAS in 1974, numerous site investigation activities have been performed at the site. Information on these investigations and assessments, as well as the Final RI Report and this Proposed Plan, can be found at the local information repository (IR) at the North Kingstown Free Library. The public is encouraged to review this Proposed Plan and supporting documents in the IR to gain a more complete understanding of the investigation activities that have been conducted at the site.
The official Administrative Record file is maintained and located at the North Kingstown Free Library, 100 Boone Street, North Kingstown, Rhode Island 02852 or key documents are available in the Related Documents link on this web page.
The results of the Final RI indicate that media (soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater, and pore water) within the site do not pose unacceptable risks to human and/or ecological receptors. Based on these conclusions, USACE is proposing No Further Action for the site. Since the results of the RI concluded that media within the site do not pose unacceptable risks to human and/or ecological receptors, a feasibility study (FS) to evaluate remedial alternatives is not warranted.
The proposed decision of No Further Action presented in this Proposed Plan may be modified based on new information or public comments. The final decision for the Quarry Disposal site will be presented in a Decision Document following the public meeting and comment period. A notice will be placed in the local newspaper when the Decision Document is finished and can be accessed at the IR.