J-Field: Introduction

J-Field is located within the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Harford County, Maryland. Since 1917, activities in the Edgewood Area have included the development, manufacture, and testing of chemical agents and munitions. The destruction of these materials at J-Field by open burning and open detonation has raised concerns about environmental contamination. Since the late 1970s, J-Field has been the subject of several environmental investigations under the direction of the Environmental Conservation and Restoration Branch of APG's Directorate of Safety, Health and Environment (DSHE) Division. The most recent and comprehensive of these studies is the remedial investigation (RI), feasibility study (FS) that was initiated in 1992 pursuant to the requirements outlined under CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act). The information gained from the RI/FS has been used as the basis for the design and implementation of remedial actions being performed.

A Record of Decision (ROD) was signed for the J-Field Soil Operable Unit on 27 September 1996. This September 1996 ROD specified limited removal of contaminated soils from the former Toxic Burning Pits (TBP), followed by construction of a Protective Soil Blanket (PSB) to prevent components exposure. Additional remedy components included shoreline erosion controls along the southern shore of the Gunpowder Neck peninsula to prevent future erosion of contaminated materials into the bay. A description of completed activities at J-Field is included in the document J-Field Study Area Record of Decision Final Remedial Action Final September 2001 which is included in the "documents" portion of this web site.

The September 2001 Final ROD referenced above presents the selected remedial action for the J-Field Study Area and addresses the Surficial Aquifer, and remaining soil areas, except for limited areas that remain active in the J-Field Study Area. No further action beyond those presented in the final ROD and those underway in accordance with the prior RODs is to be be taken for remaining soil areas in the J-Field Study Area. Available data from RI activities indicate that the chemical contaminants in these soil areas do not pose a significant risk to human health or the environment under current Army access controls and land use restrictions.

The J-Field site is almost flat and is covered by open fields, woods, and nontidal marshes. It encompasses about 460 acres at the southern end of the Gunpowder Neck Peninsula, which is surrounded on three sides by tidal estuaries — Gunpowder River to the west, Chesapeake Bay to the south, and Bush River to the east. Some areas within the original site boundary are now under water because of erosion and subsequent water inundation. Rickett's Point, a jetty that once extended from the southwestern tip of J-Field, is an example of land lost to the surrounding bay.