White Oak Federal Research Center environmental cleanup meeting April 11

The Restoration Advisory Board for the Federal Research Center at White Oak will hold its next meeting on the environmental cleanup/restoration at the former Naval Surface Warfare Center on Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the White Oak Library, located at 11701 New Hampshire Avenue. Today, the 710 acre campus is home to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In the past, however, it was known as the Naval Surface Warfare Center - White Oak, and was established in 1939 as a 870 acre site. Testing of water in wells near the site revealed soil and groundwater were contaminated with trichloroethene and ammonium perchlorate both on, and nearby, the testing center. Other chemical and explosive residues and contaminants were identified, as well. There was also an infamous explosion that rocked the neighborhood from a storage magazine on the site on June 28, 1992, which ended up being the "last straw" that led to the facility's shut-down.

The April 11 meeting is open to the public.