FINAL COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN UPDATE NUMBER 4 FORT ORD, CALIFORNIA Department of the Army Fort Ord Base Realignment and Closure Office P. O. Box 5008 Monterey, California 93944-5008 November 2013 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 OVERVIEW OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PLAN .................................................. 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Regulatory Overview 3 1.3 Community Relations Plan Organization 4 1.4 Purpose 4 1.5 Point of Contact 5 1.6 Information Sources 5 1.7 Key Community Interests and Concerns 5 1.8 Objective 6 1.9 Role of the Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Process 6 1.10 Role of the Base Realignment and Closure Cleanup Team 6 1.11 Role of the Army 6 1.12 Role of the Regulatory Agencies 6 1.13 Role of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority 7 1.14 Role of the Community 7 1.15 Base Realignment and Closure / Property Transfer 7 2.0 FORMER FORT ORD SITE DESCRIPTION ..................................................................... 9 2.1 Regional Setting 9 2.2 Climate 9 2.3 Biological Setting 9 3.0 FORT ORD HISTORY ............................................................................................................ 11 3.1 Military History 11 3.2 Environmental Cleanup History 11 i 4.0 FORT ORD LAND USE ......................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Developed Land 13 4.2 Undeveloped Land 14 4.3 Impacts of Future Development 14 5.0 SOIL AND GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION ........................................................ 15 5.1 Soil 15 5.2 Groundwater 15 5.3 Overview of the Soil and Groundwater Cleanup Process 17 6.0 CLEANUP OF MUNITIONS AND EXPLOSIVES OF CONCERN ............................ 20 6.1 Munitions Response Sites 20 6.2 Military Munitions Response Program 20 • 6.2.1 Military Munitions Response Program Goal .................................................................................... 20 • 6.2.2 Summary of the Military Munitions Response Program Process ................................................. 20 7.0 COMMUNITY BACKGROUND ............................................................................................ 23 7.1 Community Profile 23 • 7.1.1 On-Base and Nearby Residents ....................................................................................................... 23 • 7.1.2 Elected Officials and Public Agencies .............................................................................................. 24 • 7.1.3 Natural Resource Trustees ................................................................................................................ 24 • 7.1.4 Environmental and Special Interest Groups ................................................................................... 25 7.1.4.1 Fort Ord Community Advisory Group .......................................................................................... 25 7.1.4.2 Fort Ord Environmental Justice Network .................................................................................... 25 7.1.4.3 Marina in Motion ............................................................................................................................. 25 • 7.1.5 Environmental Justice / Minority and Low Income Populations (Environmental Justice Communities) ..................................................................................................................................................... 26 7.2 Chronology of Community Involvement 26 7.3 Community Interests and Concerns 27 • 7.3.1 The Pace of the Cleanup ................................................................................................................... 27 • 7.3.2 Health Effects of Contamination, Public Safety .............................................................................. 27 • 7.3.3 Suitability of Property for Transfer / Reuse ..................................................................................... 28 • 7.3.4 Vegetation Burning / Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 28 • 7.3.5 Groundwater and Soil Contamination .............................................................................................. 28 • 7.3.6 Conservation of Habitat ...................................................................................................................... 29 • 7.3.7 Military Munitions / Public Safety ...................................................................................................... 29 • 7.3.8 Other Community Comments ............................................................................................................ 29 8.0 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM ............................. 31 ii 8.1 Methods of Communication 31 • 8.1.1 Public Access to Information ............................................................................................................. 31 • 8.1.2 Community Preferences for Receiving Information ....................................................................... 31 • 8.1.3 Information Repositories and Administrative Record .................................................................... 32 • 8.1.4 Areas of Interest in Cleanup Information ......................................................................................... 32 • 8.1.5 Translations.......................................................................................................................................... 32 8.2 Resources for the Community Relations Program 33 • 8.2.1 Surveys and Interviews ...................................................................................................................... 33 • 8.2.2 Mailing Lists, Door-to-Door Distribution, and Targeted Mailings.................................................. 33 • 8.2.3 Restoration Advisory Board ............................................................................................................... 34 • 8.2.4 Community Involvement Workshops ................................................................................................ 34 • 8.2.5 Technical Review Committee ............................................................................................................ 34 • 8.2.6 Media .................................................................................................................................................... 35 • 8.2.7 Environmental Groups, Activists, and Others ................................................................................. 35 9.0 COMMUNITY RELATIONS OBJECTIVES, METHODS, AND TIMING ................. 36 9.1 Community Relations Program Objectives 36 9.2 Types and Timing of Community Relations Activities 36 • 9.2.1 Community Involvement Workshops (Objectives A, B, D G, H, I, J) .............................................. 37 • 9.2.2 Tours (Objectives A, B, D, E, J) ........................................................................................................... 38 • 9.2.3 Orientations for Organizations, Agencies, and Groups (Objectives C, D, J) ................................ 38 • 9.2.4 Fact Sheets (Objectives B, D, I, J) ...................................................................................................... 38 • 9.2.5 Technical Review Committee (Objectives A, C, D, G, H, I, J) ......................................................... 39 • 9.2.6 Public Notices (Objectives A, B, E, J) ................................................................................................. 39 • 9.2.7 Public Comment Periods and Public Meetings (Objectives A, B, G, J) ......................................... 39 • 9.2.8 Administrative Record and Information Repositories (Objectives A, B, E, F, J) ........................... 40 • 9.2.9 Fort Ord Cleanup Web Site (Objectives B, D, F, G, H, J) ................................................................. 40 • 9.2.10 Media, Updates, and Advertisements (Objectives B, E, J) .............................................................. 41 • 9.2.11 Annual Report (Objectives B, E, G, I, J) ............................................................................................. 41 • 9.2.12 Munitions and Explosives of Concern Safety Education Program (Objectives B, D, J) .............. 42 • 9.2.13 Update for Local Officials (Objectives C, J) ....................................................................................... 42 • 9.2.14 Toll Free Number (Objectives B, D, I, J) ............................................................................................ 42 • 9.2.15 Response to Questions and Concerns (Objective D, J) .................................................................. 42 • 9.2.16 Guided Walks (Objective I, J) ............................................................................................................. 43 10. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 43 iii LIST OF APPENDICES A BRAC Cleanup Team Points of Contact B List of Key Community Leaders and Interested Parties C Fort Ord Property Transfer Map D Fort Ord Settings (D-1) Jurisdictions of Fort Ord (D-2) E Map of Soil and Groundwater Cleanup Sites (E-1, Excerpt from BW-2632) Map of Groundwater Contamination and Groundwater Treatment Systems (E-2) Map of Munitions Response Sites (E-3, Excerpt