SCH Number 2003081058

Project Info

Title

NAWS China Lake, Burro Canyon Open Burn/Open Detonation Units

Description

DTSC is proposing to approve the facility's permit renewal pursuant to CA Health and Safety Code section 25200 et. seq. and CA Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 22, Division 4.5. The permit renewal will be in effect for 10 years and requires the facility to continue to operate under the terms set forth in the permit and Approved Application. The proposed permit revisions bring the existing drum crusher unit, Hazardous Waste Storage and Transfer Facility tank replacements (with unchanged volumes), Seismic/floodplain program update and the Burro Canyon Open Burn/Open Detonation Soil monitoring plan into the permit. The China Lake NAWS facility is located at the northwestern part of the CA Mojave Desert and approx. 150 miles northeast of LA, CA. China Lake lies in three counties: Kern, Inyo, and San Bernardino. The china Lake land area consists of 1.1 million acres and is composed of two major areas: The China Lake is the principal site for the naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The Mission of the NAWS is to be the principal Navy research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) center for warfare systems and missile weapons systems. The NAWS holds a hazardous waste facility permit to store hazardous waste in containers and/or tanks in two hazardous waste management unit areas: the NAWS Hazardous Waste Storage and Transfer Facility (HWSTF) and the PCB storage Building (PCBSB) which provides the capability to safely receive, segregate, transfer, and store hazardous waste prior to final transport to an appropriate off-site disposal/treatment facility. A third permitted area is the Burro Canyon Treatment Facility (BCTF) which includes the Open Burn/Open Detonation units. The China Lake NAWS treats the reactive waste generated from the China Lake RDT&E activities. There will be no substantial changes to facility operations with approval of the DTSC permit. Logistics limit operations to a maximum annual amount of one event per day per month (average) for a total of 5,475,000 pounds per year for OB and OD combined. A hazardous waste permit is necessary to ensure the OB/OD events, PCBSB and the HWSTF continue to be protective of human health and the environment.

5 documents in project