Navy Announces Cleanup Plan for Contaminated Area at MCAS Yuma
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma on November 10 published an Action Memorandum to carry out a time critical removal action at Munitions Response Program Site 1A and CERCLA Area of Concern 10, targeting soil contamination in the southeastern portion of the base. The notice opens a public comment period through December 10 and provides local review locations, giving residents an opportunity to review proposed excavation and disposal work that aims to return the site to unrestricted use if cleanup goals are met.
On November 10 Marine Corps Air Station Yuma posted an official public notice announcing the availability of an Action Memorandum that would implement a time critical removal action at Munitions Response Program Site 1A and CERCLA Area of Concern 10 on the base. The removal action covers an approximately 11.43 acre area in the southeastern portion of MCAS Yuma, identified in earlier investigations as the former Moving Base Range where soil testing found elevated lead and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The Action Memorandum was prepared in coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, signaling joint state federal oversight of the proposed response. The planned work described in the memorandum calls for excavation and off site disposal of soil that exceeds established cleanup levels. After removal the Navy plans confirmation sampling to verify that cleanup targets are met and to support a determination that the site can be used for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure.
The Navy set a public comment period that began on November 10 and runs through December 10 2025. Written comments are being accepted through NAVFAC Southwest Public Affairs at the mailing address provided in the notice, and verbal comments may be submitted by telephone. The public notice lists local review locations including the Yuma County Main Library and offers contact information and a PDF of the Action Memorandum for residents and stakeholders who want to examine the proposal in detail.
For Yuma County residents the notice has immediate practical significance. The soil contamination identified at this site includes compounds that can pose human health and ecological risks if left unaddressed. The time critical removal action is designed to reduce those risks quickly through physical removal of contaminated material, but it also raises questions about scope schedule and long term monitoring that community members may wish to review and comment on during the open period.
Institutionally the notice reflects routine interagency collaboration under CERCLA procedures, with the Navy leading on site activity and state and federal regulators coordinating on technical and oversight matters. Civic participation at this stage can influence cleanup details and the documentation of community concerns. Residents who want to review the Action Memorandum or submit comments should use the listed local review locations and the submission instructions in the public notice before the December 10 deadline.
