mission Statement

Providing a healthy and worry-free home environment is a priority for the United States Marine Corps and this Command. We remain firmly committed to the process of investigating any potential impacts associated with the removal of underground storage tanks (UST) at Laurel Bay Military Housing (LBMH).

background information

Legacy Capehart style homes within the LBMH area were formerly heated using heating oil stored in USTs at each residence. Heating oil has not been used at Laurel Bay since the mid-1980s. As was the accepted practice at the time, USTs were drained, filled with dirt, capped, and left in place when they were removed from service. In 2007, in coordination with South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), MCAS Beaufort began a voluntary program to remove the heating oil USTs and conduct soil and groundwater sampling to determine if, and to what extent, tanks may have impacted the surrounding environment.

Since that time, MCAS Beaufort has removed more than 1,250 tanks. Through review of historical documents and other location efforts using ground penetrating radar, metal detectors, and probes, MCAS Beaufort has identified and removed all known tanks at LBMH.

Through thorough environmental investigations 1064 NFA properties have been found to require no further action as approved by SCDES.

ongoing efforts

In coordination with SCDES, Long Term Monitoring of groundwater is ongoing at 36 properties with 16 included in monthly monitoring. Notifications are provided to residents regarding upcoming sampling dates. This website will be kept current as property statuses are updated.