Edwards Air Force Base

NPL Site
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Kern County, CA

According to the EPA Superfund Enterprise Management System, Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, CA is listed with NPL status NPL Site. Its Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score is 33.62. The public extract catalogs 67 contaminant records for this site. NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation, not a measured health-risk score.

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Superfund National Priorities List inclusion (status and HRS score shown above) is the EPA's formal designation that a contaminated site qualifies for long-term federal cleanup authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). A federal-facility classification means the site is owned or operated by a federal agency, which routes cleanup responsibility differently than a privately owned site.

"Construction Complete" (status shown above) is an EPA milestone marking that the physical remedy work is finished, not that the site has exited EPA oversight; long-term monitoring can continue afterward. Deletion from the NPL is a separate, later step the EPA takes only once it determines every planned response action is finished.

NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation in the EPA record, not a quantitative health-risk score. HRS scores of 28.50 or above qualify a site for the NPL under the EPA screening model (toxicity, pathways, waste quantity, and affected population factors). For current site conditions and official community notices, see the EPA Regional Superfund profile and the California environmental agency.

What is the cleanup status of this Superfund site?

NPL Status
NPL Site
Federal Facility
No
Construction Complete
No
HRS Score
33.62
Deleted from NPL
No

Contaminants

Contaminant Media
1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1,2,2-TETRACHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1,2-TRICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1,2-TRICHLOROETHANE Soil
1,1-DICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,1-DICHLOROETHENE Groundwater
1,2,3-TRICHLOROPROPANE Groundwater
1,2-DIBROMOETHANE Groundwater
1,2-DICHLOROETHANE Groundwater
1,2-DICHLOROPROPANE Groundwater
1,2-DIMETHYLBENZENE (O-XYLENE) Free-phase NAPL
1,3 (OR 1,4)-DIMETHYLBENZENE (M (OR P)-XYLENE) Free-phase NAPL
1,4-DICHLOROBENZENE Groundwater
1,4-DIOXANE Groundwater
2-METHOXY-2-METHYLPROPANE (MTBE) Groundwater
ALUMINUM Soil
ANTIMONY Soil
ARSENIC Soil
BENZENE Groundwater
BENZENE Soil Gas
BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE Soil
BENZO(K)FLUORANTHENE Soil
BENZO[A]ANTHRACENE Soil
BENZO[A]PYRENE Soil
CADMIUM Soil
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE Groundwater
CHLOROETHENE (VINYL CHLORIDE) Groundwater
CHLOROETHENE (VINYL CHLORIDE) Soil Gas
CHLOROFORM Groundwater
CHLOROFORM Soil
CHROMIUM(VI) Soil
CHRYSENE Soil
CIS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE Groundwater
CIS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE Soil Gas
DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE Soil
DICHLOROMETHANE (METHYLENE CHLORIDE) Groundwater
ETHYLBENZENE Free-phase NAPL
ETHYLBENZENE Groundwater
INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE Soil
IRON Groundwater
IRON Soil
LEAD Soil
MANGANESE Soil
MOLYBDENUM Groundwater
N-NITROSODIMETHYLAMINE Groundwater
NAPHTHALENE Groundwater
NITRATE Groundwater
PERCHLORATE Groundwater
PERCHLORATE Soil
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs) Debris
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBs) Soil
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) Soil
TETRACHLOROETHENE Groundwater
TETRACHLOROETHENE Soil
TETRACHLOROETHENE Soil Gas
THALLIUM Soil
TOLUENE Groundwater
TRANS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE Groundwater
TRANS-1,2-DICHLOROETHENE Soil Gas
TRICHLOROETHENE Free-phase NAPL
TRICHLOROETHENE Groundwater
TRICHLOROETHENE Soil Gas
TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE Groundwater
VANADIUM Soil
XYLENE (MIXED ISOMERS) Groundwater
XYLENE (MIXED ISOMERS) Soil
ZINC Groundwater

Location

City
Kern County
Coordinates
34.9494, -117.8857

Other Superfund Sites in California

Site Name Status HRS Score
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. NPL Site 37.93
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (Building 915) NPL Site 31.94
Aerojet General Corp. NPL Site 54.63
Afterthought Mine NPL Site 50.00
Alameda Naval Air Station NPL Site 50.00
Alark Hard Chrome NPL Site 50.50
AMCO Chemical NPL Site 50.00
Applied Materials NPL Site 31.94
Argonaut Mine NPL Site 58.31
Atlas Asbestos Mine NPL Site 45.55

How does this site's HRS score compare in California?

Of the 116 California Superfund sites with a scored Hazard Ranking System (HRS) evaluation, Edwards Air Force Base ranks #86 by score (33.62).

Either side of it: Lava Cap Mine (33.66), CTS Printex, Inc. (33.62), George Air Force Base (33.62), Sola Optical USA, Inc. (33.39)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Edwards Air Force Base Superfund site?
Edwards Air Force Base, in Kern County, CA, sits toward the lower end of California's Hazard Ranking System scores (HRS 33.62, rank #86 of 116 scored sites) among the state's Superfund sites. A lower HRS rank within the state does not mean no cleanup obligation -- Superfund sites are contaminated locations identified by the EPA for long-term cleanup under CERCLA regardless of relative score.
What does NPL listing mean for Edwards Air Force Base?
According to the EPA, National Priorities List (NPL) listing designates a site for long-term federal Superfund cleanup authority. It is a programmatic status in the Superfund Enterprise Management System, not a quantitative health-risk score for nearby residents. Construction-complete status is not marked in the EPA record for this site. Site-specific conditions and community guidance are published by EPA Regional Superfund offices and the relevant state environmental agency.
What is the HRS score for Edwards Air Force Base?
Edwards Air Force Base's Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score is 33.62, placing it #86 of 116 California Superfund sites with a scored HRS evaluation -- among the lower-scored sites in the state. Sites with a score of 28.50 or greater qualify for the NPL; the model weighs contaminant toxicity, waste quantity, release likelihood, and affected population, and is not a community health diagnosis.
What contaminants are at the Edwards Air Force Base site?
The EPA public Superfund extract catalogs 67 contaminants at Edwards Air Force Base, documented through the remedial investigation process. Counts reflect listed records in that extract, not a complete inventory of every substance ever present.
What is the cleanup status of Edwards Air Force Base?
Edwards Air Force Base is currently NPL Site on the National Priorities List. The EPA Superfund cleanup process includes phases from preliminary assessment through post-construction completion.

NPL listing is a cleanup-authority designation in the EPA record, not a quantitative health-risk score. See Superfund Sites Explained for how the National Priorities List, Hazard Ranking System, and cleanup phases work.

Related

Data sourced from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEnviro