Objective

Bioreactor installed on demonstration test pad at the base’s Groundwater Treatment Plant. All utilities and service connections are provided by the Test Site.

The Tri-Service and EPA test locations of the SERDP National Environmental Technology Test Site (NETTS) program were comprised of a network of well-characterized demonstration sites at Department of Defense (DoD) installations. The goal of this SERDP-funded program was to provide accessible, well-supported field locations for project proof-of-principle tests, applied research, and comparative demonstrations, as well as to facilitate transfer of innovative environmental technologies from research to full-scale use. The SERDP NETTS program was created primarily for DoD, Department of Energy (DOE), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) users, but the locations also were available to other agencies and the private sector.

The former McClellan Air Force Base (AFB), located near Sacramento, CA, closed as an active Air Force installation in July 2001.  In addition to other DoD depot installations undergoing Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), the Air Force was pursuing the privatization of McClellan AFB to prepare for its closure. However, due to extensive contamination resulting from base activities, the site cleanup is estimated to continue into the next century and result in a cost of more than $1 billion.  The primary focus of the McClellan AFB NETTS was to provide a well-characterized facility for the research and demonstration of technologies that pursue the detection, monitoring, and cleanup of chlorinated hydrocarbons, fuels, and metals in both the vadose zone and groundwater.