Proposed Plan
Area of Concern 6
Ammonia Settling Pits, Trinitrotoluene Graining House Sump,
and Trinitrotoluene Catch Box Ruins Subareas
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Virginia
The Department of the Navy (Navy), the lead agency for environmental restoration activities at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Cheatham Annex (CAX), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the lead regulatory agency, in consultation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), have issued a Proposed Plan to describe the recommended approach to address environmental contamination at three subareas of Area of Concern (AOC) 6, Penniman AOC at CAX. This work is being completed as part of the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program.
The environmental media and the subareas related to the former Penniman Shell Loading Plant that comprise AOC 6 and are addressed in this Proposed Plan are:
(1) Soil at the Ammonia Settling Pits (ASP),
(2) Soil at the Trinitrotoluene (TNT) Graining House Sump, and
(3) Soil at the TNT Catch Box Ruins.
Due to proximity, the latter two are together known as the TNT subareas. Other environmental media (e.g., groundwater) and other subareas of AOC 6 (1918 Drum Storage [DSA] and the Waste Slag Material [WSM]) have previously been investigated and addressed and are not included in this Proposed Plan.
The Proposed Plan describes past environmental investigations, removal actions that have been completed, and the remedial alternatives evaluated for soil at the ASP and the TNT subareas of AOC 6. It provides the rationale for the recommendation of no further action.
ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY: The former Penniman Shell Loading Plant was a large powder and shell loading facility operated by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company between 1916 and 1918, during World War I. Between 1918 and 1925, this facility was demolished and the property reverted to farmland until the Navy established CAX in June 1943 as a satellite unit of the Navy Supply Depot to provide bulk storage facilities. AOC 6 is comprised of five noncontiguous subareas, each less than 1 acre in size, and all related to the former Penniman Shell Loading Plant.
While the specific history of the ASP subarea is unknown, it is presumed that wastewater from an ammonia finishing building was discharged through three ASPs into the tidal tributary of King Creek that existed before Penniman Lake was created. Currently, this subarea is wooded and situated near the banks of Penniman Lake and consists of what may be remnants of earthen ASPs that were part of the Penniman Shell Loading Plant.
The specific history of the TNT subareas is also unknown. The TNT Graining House Sump subarea includes the concrete footprint of the former TNT Graining House, as well as the concrete-lined, open top pit believed to be the sump pit for the former TNT Graining House. The TNT Catch Box Ruins subarea consists of an earthen, brick-lined depression located immediately east and adjacent to the TNT Graining House. It is presumed that the TNT Catch Box was used to separate TNT particles from wastewater. Potential historical leakage or discharge from the former TNT Graining House Sump and/or TNT Catch Box are the sole known or suspected sources of contamination at the AOC 6 TNT subareas. Currently, the TNT subareas are wooded and situated near the banks of Penniman Lake.
INVESTIGATIONS AND SOIL REMOVAL: Multiple investigations of these five subareas have been conducted since 1999. Previous investigations and risk assessments determined that remedial action was not necessary to protect human health and the environment from exposure to groundwater in all five subareas and to soil in two subareas (1918 DSA and WSM). A soil removal action was conducted at the ASP and the TNT subareas in 2022. Between October and November 2022, 13 tons of soil were excavated from the ASP subarea; and 395 tons of soil were excavated from the TNT subareas.
NO FURTHER REMEDIAL ACTION PROPOSED: By removing soil, contaminants were removed that posed a human health risk in the TNT subareas (2,4,6-TNT, 2-nitrotoluene, and lead) and in the ASP subarea (lead). This soil removal also eliminated ecological risk in the TNT subareas (2,4,6-TNT and lead) and in the ASP subarea (lead). Sampling completed after the soil removal action indicated that there is no longer unacceptable risk to human health or the environment for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure to the soil. Therefore, no additional remediation is necessary, and the Proposed Plan recommends no further action to address soil at the ASP and TNT subareas of AOC 6.
PUBLIC REVIEW AND PUBLIC MEETING: Public participation is an important part of the remedy selection process. A public comment period on this Proposed Plan will extend from July 12 to August 26, 2026, and an online public meeting will be held on August 11, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. The Navy will consider any new information and/or public comments before a final decision is made.
You can review the Proposed Plan and related site documents on the Navy’s environmental website for CAX at the following link: https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Divisions/Environmental/Products-and-Services/Environmental-Restoration/Mid-Atlantic/Cheatham-Annex/
A presentation about this Proposed Plan will be available on the Community Outreach tab of the website during the public comment period for viewing at your convenience. A link to access the online public meeting will also be posted on the Community Outreach tab of the website.
During the comment period, interested parties may submit written comments to the following people:
Shane Noyes, Remedial Project Manager
NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic
9742 Maryland Avenue Building EV33 Norfolk, VA 23511-3095
Phone: (757) 341-2009 DSN: 341-2009
Email: [email protected]
For further information, you may also contact:
Sarina Howell, Remedial Project Manager
EPA (Region III) 4 Penn Center
1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19103-2852
Phone: (215) 814-3364 Email: [email protected]
Wade Smith, Remedial Project Manager
Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality
1111 East Main Street, Suite 1400
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 659-1396 Email: [email protected]
The Navy and EPA, with DEQ concurrence, will make a final decision after the public comment period. Responses to comments will be summarized in a Responsiveness Summary, which is part of the Record of Decision and will be placed in the Administrative Record, also available on the website.
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