Arcata Naval Auxiliary Air Station
Photo of RAF's FIDO Program - no photos of Arcata are available.
In early 1943, the Navy leased 442 acres, seven miles north of Arcata, to build an auxiliary air station. .
After the Navy opened the station, it discovered that Arcata had some of the foggiest weather in the world. On occasion, fog would set in for weeks at a time. As a result, the Navy never fully used the station. Instead, the Navy conducted Fog Investigation and Dispersal Experiments, (FIDO)
The Navy built 12,000 feet of burner lines along the runway, somewhat comparable to a massive barbecue grill. The work included a low pressure pumping station for supplying the burners, a tank farm having storage capacity for 200,000 gallons of gasoline and 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel, a railroad siding for tank car delivery, and a 4,500 foot six-inch pipe line from the railroad to the tank farm. It took 20,000 gals. to sufficiently raise the fog for each landing.
The government closed the station in 1950 and deeded the property to the County.
After the Navy opened the station, it discovered that Arcata had some of the foggiest weather in the world. On occasion, fog would set in for weeks at a time. As a result, the Navy never fully used the station. Instead, the Navy conducted Fog Investigation and Dispersal Experiments, (FIDO)
The Navy built 12,000 feet of burner lines along the runway, somewhat comparable to a massive barbecue grill. The work included a low pressure pumping station for supplying the burners, a tank farm having storage capacity for 200,000 gallons of gasoline and 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel, a railroad siding for tank car delivery, and a 4,500 foot six-inch pipe line from the railroad to the tank farm. It took 20,000 gals. to sufficiently raise the fog for each landing.
The government closed the station in 1950 and deeded the property to the County.
Arcata - Source - DOD
Sites where military cleanup actions are still ongoing. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD, which prioritizes the cleanup of sites that pose greatest threat to safety, human health, and the environment.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
Contaminated: Soil
Unlimited Access
Site ID: 02HTRW
HAZARDOUS, TOXIC AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE Contaminated Ground Water
Cost
$21KCost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
SEP 2018
Contamination in soil has the potential to migrate to the underlying aquifer. Access to airport lands is very limited.
Contaminants: Benzene 370.0 mg/kg Benzo[b]fluoranthene 30000.0 mg/kg Benzo[k]fluoranthene 30000.0 mg/kg Benz[a]anthracene 46000.0 mg/k
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Risk Not Evaluated
Unlimited Access
Site ID: 01CON/HTRW
J09CA079901C_NAVAL AUXILIARY AUnderground Storage Tanks
Cost $22KCost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
SEP 2018
Sites where military cleanup actions are still ongoing. The risk level of a site refers to a relative risk assessment made by the DOD, which prioritizes the cleanup of sites that pose greatest threat to safety, human health, and the environment.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
Contaminated: Soil
Unlimited Access
Site ID: 02HTRW
HAZARDOUS, TOXIC AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE Contaminated Ground Water
Cost
$21KCost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
SEP 2018
Contamination in soil has the potential to migrate to the underlying aquifer. Access to airport lands is very limited.
Contaminants: Benzene 370.0 mg/kg Benzo[b]fluoranthene 30000.0 mg/kg Benzo[k]fluoranthene 30000.0 mg/kg Benz[a]anthracene 46000.0 mg/k
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Risk Not Evaluated
Unlimited Access
Site ID: 01CON/HTRW
J09CA079901C_NAVAL AUXILIARY AUnderground Storage Tanks
Cost $22KCost in 2015 plus expected future cost of cleanup
Final Cleanup Action
SEP 2018
DoD's Installation Restoration Program (IRP) Sites that have not Achieved Response Complete (RC) January 2018
https://www.denix.osd.mil/derp/home/documents/installation-restoration-program-report-to-congress-january-2018/
Key: DERA - Defense Environmental Restoration Account funds
BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure
FUDS California NAVAL AUXILIARY AIR STATION DERA 01CON/HTRW STATION - FUEL FARM 201712 102 1
NAVAL AUXILIARY AIR STATION J09CA079901C_NAVAL
FUDS California ARCATA DERA 01CON/HTRW AUXILIARY A 201909 5,645 3
https://www.denix.osd.mil/derp/home/documents/installation-restoration-program-report-to-congress-january-2018/
Key: DERA - Defense Environmental Restoration Account funds
BRAC - Base Realignment and Closure
FUDS California NAVAL AUXILIARY AIR STATION DERA 01CON/HTRW STATION - FUEL FARM 201712 102 1
NAVAL AUXILIARY AIR STATION J09CA079901C_NAVAL
FUDS California ARCATA DERA 01CON/HTRW AUXILIARY A 201909 5,645 3
95519 95521 95570