Record of Decision for Realignment of the Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Record of Decision for Realignment of the Naval Air Station,

Pensacola, FL

Pursuant to Section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for

implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of the

Navy announces its decision to implement realignment of the Naval Air

Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida.

In accordance with the legislative requirements of the Base Closure

and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law [P.L.] 101-510), the 1993

Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC-93) recommended

the realignment of NAS Memphis, Tennessee, and the closure of the Naval

Training Center (NTC) San Diego, California. Also recommended for

closure was the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) in Pensacola, Florida. All

the naval technical training now offered at NAS Memphis and the

Messmans Apprentice (MS `A') School from NTC San Diego will be

relocated to NAS Pensacola.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was prepared for the

proposed realignment implementation and was distributed to Federal,

State, and local agencies and to interested individuals and interested

groups/organizations. Comments from the reviewers and Navy responses to

those comments were incorporated into the Final Environmental Impact

Statement (FEIS) which was distributed to the public for a 30-day

review period ending on 21 November 1994. This review resulted in

letters from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IV,

and from the Office of the Governor, Florida State Clearinghouse. The

EPA letter stated while the proposed realignment would result in minor

degradation of air quality from proposed fire-fighting training

activities, immediate on-site and proximate environmental consequences

are within acceptable limits and the proposal appears reasonable. The

State Clearinghouse indicated the action, at this stage, is consistent

with the Florida Coastal Zone Management Program. Should further

environmental documentation be required to support the action,

subsequent review from the State Clearinghouse will be obtained. The

Navy will also accommodate Florida regulatory agency requirements

during the permitting process.

The realignment will, by 1997, increase the average number of on-

board students by 4,924. The number of permanent naval personnel

necessary to support the apprentice school training will increase by

approximately 1,101, bringing with them approximately 1,684 dependents.

Thus, implementation of the realignment will bring about 7,709

personnel to the area. During the same period, it is estimated that

about 2,587 NADEP employees including their dependents will leave the

Pensacola region, resulting in a net population increase of 5,122

people.

The Navy has determined that 19 BRAC-related construction (BRACON)

projects are required to accommodate the realignment at NAS Pensacola.

The BRACON projects include upgrades of existing facilities and

construction of new facilities to support new functions and the

increased number of students and permanent personnel. All associated

construction and renovation projects addressed in the FEIS will occur

at NAS Pensacola, with the exception of a 116-unit family housing

project, which will be constructed at the Navy Technical Training

Center (NAVTECHTRACEN) Corry Station, also in Pensacola.

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act waived certain aspects

of NEPA such that the environmental analysis need not consider the no-

action alternative. Alternative means of implementing the mandated

BRAC-93 realignment at NAS Pensacola were considered, including the use

of existing structures and alternative sites for construction of new

facilities. Sites considered at NAS Pensacola for the proposed new

facilities/renovations avoided environmentally sensitive areas and were

preferred based on functional considerations: adequacy of existing

structures for the proposed uses, availability of utilities, proximity

to existing facilities, and minimal distances required for students to

walk to classes from the barracks and galley. The Chevalier Field site,

being vacated by the closure of NADEP, is chosen as the best site to

develop the training ``campus''. NAVTECHTRACEN Corry Station is

selected as the most environmentally preferred and functionally

desirable site for the family housing project.

The Navy anticipates no significant adverse impacts to surface

waters or wetlands from implementation of the [[Page 445]] action. New

facilities will be constructed such that wetlands, except for a small

area (less than one-tenth of an acre), are not encumbered. Sediment and

erosion control measures for construction activities meeting federal

and state guidelines outlined in the FEIS will ensure that temporary

decreases in the quality of stormwater runoff during construction are

minimal and temporary. Since existing facilities predate current

stormwater regulations, implementing Best Management Practices required

by federal and state permits will improve the overall quality of

stormwater. There will be no significant impacts to groundwater or

potable water resources as a result of the realignment.

The realignment will not significantly impact ambient noise levels

or air quality. Temporary, localized noise impacts will occur,

primarily from heavy machinery during construction and demolition.

Compliance with the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air

Pollutants (NESHAPS), the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Florida

Administrative Code (FAC) 17-296.810 will be effected during the

removal of asbestos-containing material. Asbestos debris will be

disposed of in accordance with NESHAPs and FAC 17- 701. Lead-based

paint will be disposed of in accordance with FAC 17-701 after sampling

of the material is completed. NAS Pensacola is located in an area of

full attainment for all criteria pollutants, thus an applicability

analysis required by the General Conformity Rule under the 1990 Clean

Air Act Amendment is not necessary. The action complies with the

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). A minor source of air

pollutants will be fire-fighting training, which is estimated to have

total emissions of federal criteria pollutants of less than 16 tons per

year (tpy), well below the Prevention of Significant Deterioration

(PSD) limits of 100 and 250 tpy. Closure of NADEP and its associated

emissions reductions will more than offset emissions of the

realignment, and thus the action will not cause or contribute to

exceedance of NAAQS.

The action will not adversely impact any Department of Defense

Installation Restoration Program (IR) sites. While four IR sites do

overlap areas proposed for the campus development, these sites will be

remediated prior to construction and after their risk assessments for

potential impacts on human health are approved by the EPA, the Florida

Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and the Navy. In

addition, one petroleum-contaminated site will be remediated in

compliance with the guidelines set forth by FAC 17-770 and will be

constructed upon only after EPA or FDEP approval.

The net total population increase to the Pensacola region will be

5,122 persons, or less than two percent of the existing Escambia County

population. This number represents a net quantity which accounts for

both the loss of personnel from the NADEP closing and the incoming

personnel from NAS Memphis. This increase is considered insignificant,

especially when the enlisted student loading of 4,924, the majority of

which will be housed on-base in bachelor's quarters, is considered. The

action also provides 116 new family housing units at NAVTECHTRACEN

Corry Station. No impacts to the area infrastructure or traffic is

anticipated from the housing construction.

The increase in elementary, middle, and high school enrollment

resulting from the realignment will have no significant impact on

Escambia or Santa Rosa counties. Based on a recent survey by local

school boards, the closure of NADEP may result in approximately 668

school-aged children leaving the region. Similarly, using population

characteristics of other Navy training facilities, about 686 school-

aged children are expected to enter the local schools as a result of

the realignment.

Utilities at NAS Pensacola and Corry Station have adequate capacity

to accommodate the new housing. The total demand for wastewater for the

action is 0.9 million gallons per day (mgd) which increases the total

base requirement to 2.1 mgd, below the total capacity of 2.35 mgd.

Potential impacts to cultural resources at NAS Pensacola have been

evaluated in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historical

Preservation Act (of 1966), as amended, and the Programmatic Agreement

between NAS Pensacola, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

(ACHP), and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). Results of

the cultural resource survey conducted at Chevalier Field identified

the previously recorded Commodore's Pond site and the historic Town of

Woolsey. However, construction is not expected to result in a loss of

cultural resources because all subsurface impacts beneath 40

centimeters will be monitored by a professional archaeologist; 40

centimeters is the thickness of the fill material overlying the site.

In addition, subsurface testing will be coordinated with the SHPO to

avoid or mitigate potential significant features.

Renovations for nine buildings in the vicinity of Chevalier Field

include buildings 18 and 52, located within the NAS Pensacola Landmark

Historic District; buildings 606, 607, 627, 630, and 631, located

within the proposed boundary increase; and building 225, which is an

older building located outside of the district. No adverse impacts are

expected during renovation work because the SHPO's recommendations for

avoiding adverse effects to historic structures will be followed. These

recommendations include leaving historic building exteriors intact and

providing a 100-foot buffer zone between historic buildings and new

construction. Also, proposed interior modifications will be reviewed by

the SHPO prior to initiating work. In a letter dated June 6, 1994, the

SHPO agreed that the renovations at Chevalier Field could proceed under

the mitigation and monitoring guidelines outlined above.

Questions regarding the Draft and Final Environmental Impact

Statement prepared for this action may be directed to: Commanding

Officer, Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, PO

Box 190010, North Charleston, SC 29419-9010 (Attn: Mr. Ronnie

Lattimore, Code 203RL, telephone (803) 743-0888, fax (803) 743-0993.

Elsie L. Munsell,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Safety).

[FR Doc. 95-166 Filed 1-3-95; 8:45 am]

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