Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

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Background

This web site is part of the Navy's active efforts to provide accurate, timely, and comprehensive information on the Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program (NERP) that includes both the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) and the Munitions Response Program (MRP) currently underway at Naval Shipyard (NAVSHIPYD) Portsmouth.

Location

The Shipyard is located in Kittery, Maine, at the mouth of the Great Bay Estuary (known locally as Portsmouth Harbor). Referred to on nautical charts as Seavey Island, this military facility located in the Piscataqua River is attached by a rock causeway to Clark’s Island. The Piscataqua River is a tidal estuary that forms the southern border between Maine and New Hampshire.

Mission

The Shipyard is engaged in the conversion, overhaul, and repair of submarines. The long history of shipbuilding within the Portsmouth Harbor dates back to 1690, when the first warship launched in the Colonies, the Faulkland, was built. The Shipyard was established as a government facility in 1800 and served as a repair and building facility for ships during the Civil War. The first government-built submarine was designed and constructed at the Shipyard during World War I. More information on the Shipyard is available on the NAVSEA Portsmouth Naval Shipyard website.

Regulatory History

The Navy is the lead agency for site investigation and cleanup at the Shipyard, with formal oversight provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is a key stakeholder.

The Navy initiated the Naval Assessment and Control of Installation Pollutants Program (NACIP) on September 11, 1980, to identify and control environmental pollution from past use and waste disposal operations at Navy installations. In 1983, a base wide investigation of the Shipyard, called an Initial Assessment Study (IAS), was completed. This study identified several potential disposal areas at the Shipyard that warranted further investigation. In March 1989, the Shipyard was issued a Corrective Action Permit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984 that identified 13 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMU) requiring investigation.

The Shipyard was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) effective May 13, 1994. Studies subsequent to this listing have been conducted under the authority of the Comprehensive, Emergency Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). Consistent with the transition from RCRA to CERCLA, the SWMU terminology has been replaced with “Site”. Similar sites have been grouped into Operable Units (OU). CERCLA, or the "Superfund" Act, was passed to investigate and remediate areas resulting from past hazardous waste management practices. 

The NACIP program was changed in 1986 to reflect the requirements of the CERCLA as amended by SARA. This revised program is referred to as the NERP.

Environmental History

The following is a summary of major investigations and studies to date: