Former Dodd/Beals Fire Fighting Academy
Remedial Agreement Press Notice Slide Show
Certificate of Completion, Upper Site Certificate of Completion, Lower Site
The University of Nevada, Reno has submitted a remedial action plan to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection which addresses the planned cleanup of the former Dodd/Beals fire fighting academy located in Stead, NV. The remedial action plan was submitted as part of the Voluntary Cleanup Program operated by the State of Nevada which allows entities to clean up environmental hazards at sites under the supervision the NDEP in order to receive relief from liability for contaminants which may pose a threat to human health or the environment.

One aspect of the Voluntary Cleanup Program is the requirement for encouraging active public participation in the selection of the cleanup plan. The NDEP must submit summaries and press releases announcing the details of the cleanup for the community where the cleanup will take place.

The former Dodd/Beals Fire Fighting Academy was located on 77 acres of land donated to the University of Nevada, Reno by the Stead Air Force Base and was operated from the early seventies until the mid-nineties. The site is located at the intersection of Military Road and Echo Avenue. Of the 77 acres, approximately 42 acres were used for administrative buildings and fire fighting training; within the 42 acres, only certain portions of the land were used for active fire fighting training facilities. As part of historical fire fighting training, mock facilities were set afire using diesel fuel, with some gasoline as an igniter. The fires were extinguished with water and foam. The mocks were placed on concrete pads such that the water utilized could be captured and conveyed to retention ponds and re-circulated.

As a result of historic site activities, soil and groundwater have been impacted with petroleum hydrocarbons. Assessments have been completed which clearly define the extent and makeup of the contaminated areas. Soils have been impacted mainly due to leaching from the retention ponds; some surficial impacts can also be attributed to overspray from the concrete mock pads. Groundwater impacts were also a result of leaching from the retention ponds. A wide range of hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents were sampled for during the assessment. Contaminants found are predominantly diesel range hydrocarbons with some lighter gasoline additives. Contaminants discovered in the groundwater include benzene and MTBE.

A risk based cleanup approach has been proposed for the site. This approach takes into consideration a number of factors which may increase or decrease the likelihood that a certain contaminant will cause negative impacts to human health or the environment. Factors include the mobility and toxicity of the contaminants, the proposed use of the site, and the physical properties of the soil and groundwater.

The remediation plan has been designed to target the areas of concern identified through the risk based approach. These concerns include the benzene in groundwater and the levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil. The groundwater and some soils will be treated though a method known as air sparging/vapor extraction which is effective at eliminating lighter compounds such as benzene. It is these lighter compounds which pose the greatest threat to human health. Soils which exceed the risk based criteria for petroleum hydrocarbons are planned to be excavated and treated.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to know more about the cleanup planned for the site, please contact Scott Smale at the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (775) 687-9384.