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NPL Site Narrative for Naval Security Group Activity
NAVAL SECURITY GROUP ACTIVITY
Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico
Federal Register Notice: October 04, 1989
Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): Naval Security Group Activity is a communications station on the north coast of Puerto Rico approximately 11 miles west of San Juan, adjacent to the Village of Sabana Seca, Municipality of Toa Baja. The station encompasses over 2,200 acres divided into the North and South Tracts. The San Pedro Marsh, a large coastal wetland, is within 1,000 feet of both tracts.
From the early 1950s through 1970, the station's Public Works Department deposited all waste generated at the station in various areas on the South Tract. Materials disposed of included paints, solvents, waste oil, and battery acid. In addition, part of the South Tract served as the Pest Control Shop from the mid-1950s through 1979. During this time, various pesticides, including DDT, lindane, chlordane, 2,4-D, and sevin, were spilled in and around the shop building. Pesticides were mixed and application equipment cleaned in a sink outside the shop. The sink discharged directly to the ground.
Soil samples taken near the shop had elevated concentrations of arsenic, lead, and chlordane in tests conducted in 1984. Soil contaminants could migrate via surface water through a drainage ditch to the marsh during periods of rainfall. The contaminants could migrate to ground water through the fractured limestone bedrock, then to the marshy areas to the northwest and eventually into the sea. An estimated 47,000 persons living in and around the station use public wells within 3 miles of the site as a partial source of drinking water.
The Puerto Rican boa, designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species, has been sighted in numerous locations on the station. The boa is known to feed in the subtropical environment offered by the station. Surface water within 3 miles downstream of the shop is used for recreational fishing.
The station is participating in the Installation Restoration Program, established in 1978. Under this program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination from hazardous materials. The Navy has completed Phase I (records search). Phase II (confirmation study) is underway.
Status (October 4, 1989): The Navy has completed two rounds of sampling. A third round will be conducted to characterize the area around the Pest Control Shop.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.