Commission to Deal With El Toro Cleanup

Pursuing aggressive efforts to clean up contamination at El Toro and Tustin Marine Corps air stations--and supplying the money to get the job done--will be among several topics raised before a federal fact-finding commission meeting this week.

The majority of the acreage on the two bases is cleaned up and ready for redevelopment. But a dispute remains about water contamination--which poses no immediate threat. Some federal officials are considering a passive approach, including letting the contamination disperse on its own.

“Frankly, that’s unacceptable,” Tustin Assistant City Manager Christine Singleton said.

Singleton and Kari Rigoni, a senior planner for the county, said they want the federal government to take steps to fully clean all contaminated areas.

“We want to make sure it’s taken care of,” said Rigoni, who is also concerned about a potential shortfall in federal clean-up funding. “We want an ongoing commitment to the cleanup.”

The nine-member defense environmental response task force will hold a two-day conference at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel. The conference, which is open to the public, begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will focus on the Tustin base. A public comment period is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. The conference resumes Thursday morning at 9 a.m., focusing on El Toro.

The task force has no authority over future plans for the retiring military bases, but advises Congress on ways to improve the recycling of bases nationwide, officials said.

“It’s a fact-finding mission,” said Lt. Matt Morgan, a spokesman for the El Toro base closure. “Their job is to ensure the Department of Defense is complying with closure and cleanup” procedures.

The 1,595-acre Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station is expected to be closed by 1999 and turned into a residential and commercial district with schools and parks.

Desire Chandler, the base realignment and closure environmental coordinator, said 95% of the base has been cleaned up and is ready for development.

The 4,700-acre El Toro facility is also scheduled to be closed by 1999, and its fate remains one of the most hotly debated subjects in county history.

The Board of Supervisors last month adopted plans to develop a commercial airport at the site, but opponents who live near the base and under projected flight paths plan to fight the proposal in court.

Nearly 70% of the El Toro base is cleaned and ready for reuse, Morgan said.

A key goal of the federal task force is to make recommendations to Congress on ways to help smooth the reuse process for bases that are being retired because they are no longer cost-effective, Morgan said.

For example, a portion of the Tustin base could have been released early for redevelopment, but federal red tape prevented it, Morgan said.