Five-Year Review
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The Department of the Navy Announces the Start of the Fifth Five-Year Review
for Naval Support Activity Maine, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
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The Department of the Navy (Navy), in coordination with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP), has initiated the Fifth Five-Year Review (FYR) for environmental restoration (ER) activities at Naval Support Activity Maine (NSA Maine), formerly Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY), in Kittery, Maine. The purpose of the FYR is to evaluate the implementation and performance of the final remedies to ensure they are, and will continue to be, protective of human health and the environment. The FYR is mandated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), Section 121, for sites where hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remain above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure. A FYR report will be prepared by the Navy as part of the Navy Environmental Restoration Program (ERP), which follows U.S. EPA guidelines under CERCLA. The Fifth FYR Report will be completed by April 2027.
The Navy will conduct the FYR with the evaluation of pending, completed, and ongoing remedial actions implemented at ERP sites at NSA Maine/PNSY. This FYR includes six (6) Operable Units (OUs) where site-related contaminants remain at levels above those that would allow for unrestricted use. The OUs included in this FYR (along with their associated sites) are: OU 1 (Site 10 – Former Battery Acid Tank No. 24), OU 2 (Site 6 – Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office [DRMO] Storage Yard and Site 29 – Former Teepee Incinerator Site), OU 3 (Site 8 – Jamaica Island Landfill [JILF] and Site 35 – Buildings 29, 337, 357, and Former Building 335), OU 7 (Site 32 – Topeka Pier Site), OU 8 (Site 31 – Former West Timber Basin), and OU 9 (Site 34 – Former Oil Gasification Plant, Building 62). Navy and CERCLA guidelines call for this review every five years to ensure the remedies continue to be protective of human health and the environment. The FYR includes conducting annual site inspections as well as interviews with key personnel knowledgeable about NSA Maine/PNSY environmental history, which includes the U.S. EPA, MEDEP, the Navy’s ER personnel, and Navy ERP contractors.
The Fifth FYR Report will be made available to the public through the Navy’s Administrative Record (AR) File for PNSY. The Navy’s AR File for PNSY contains data and documentation supporting past site decisions regarding the Navy’s ERP cleanup of PNSY. The Navy’s AR File for PNSY is available electronically at https://administrative-records.navfac.navy.mil/?NTU3VWPU2VNG4WZM. A subsequent public notice will announce the completion of the Fifth FYR Report and its availability in the PNSY AR. Copies of the Fifth FYR Report will also be available at the following Information Repository locations:
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Rice Public Library
8 Wentworth Street
Kittery, ME 03904
(207) 439-1553
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Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Avenue
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 427-1540
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The Navy will solicit concerns and comments about the FYR remedies and performance through questionnaires and interviews with interested parties. Public participation is encouraged and welcomed. If you are interested in providing comments or concerns, please click here to download the fillable Interview Questionnaire form.
This questionnaire may be returned to Mr. Jeremy Lambert with the NSA Maine PNSY Public Affairs Office at the email address below by August 31, 2026.
Mr. Jeremy Lambert
Congressional and Public Affairs Officer
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Building 86
Portsmouth, NH 03804-5000
207.438.1525
Email: jeremy.m.lambert4@us.navy.mil
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Restoration Advisory Board
The Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is the cornerstone of the Navy’s enhanced approach to involving stakeholders in the cleanup process. The RAB allows members of the community and representatives of the Shipyard, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and local governments to work together toward a common goal.
The RAB has a twofold purpose. First, the RAB is a forum for representatives of the Shipyard, regulatory agencies, and the community to discuss and exchange information about Navy’s Environmental Restoration Program. Second, the RAB gives stakeholders the opportunity to participate in the cleanup process and make their views known to decision makers. The RAB does not substitute for other community involvement initiatives like preparing the Community Implementation Plan, issuing public notices, holding public meetings, and establishing and maintaining information repositories. Rather, the RAB complements those activities by serving as a focal point for dialogue.
The RAB at the Shipyard was established in 17 August 1995 and meets quarterly at:
Kittery Town Hall
200 Rogers Road, Ext.
Kittery, Maine 03904
7 p.m. until 9 p.m.
RAB Meeting Minutes - 2012 May
RAB Meeting Minutes - 2012 December
Final Second Five-Year Review Report
Community Implementation Plan
The Navy requires formal Community Implementation Plans (CIP), formerly known as Community Relations Plans, at all Navy Environmental Restoration Program sites whether or not they are listed on the National Priorities List or not. The plans are prepared and implemented on an installation-wide basis rather than for a specified environmental cleanup action and are intended to provide for various levels of community involvement in removal and remedial actions. The CIP is based on information gathered from the community through interviews conducted by the Navy and our contractors with local officials, residents, public interest groups, and other interested or affected parties to ascertain community concerns, community information needs, and how or when citizens would like to be involved in the cleanup process.
The Community Implementation Plan (CIP) was completed in June 2012.
Information Repositories
The Information Repository is a collection of documents that are considered important for easy public access. The repositories allow open and convenient public access to all site-related documents provided for public disclosure. There are two information repositories dedicated to the Shipyard:
Rice Public Library
8 Wentworth Street
Kittery, ME 03904
(207)439-1553
Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Avenue
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603)472-1540