Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory (NCEL)

Todd Margrave served as the Lead Remedial Project Manager (RPM) for Southwest Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (SWDivision) and was responsible for directing environmental cleanup and site mitigation activities at NCEL in 1995-96. NCEL became the first successful Navy Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) transfer in California.

The 1993 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended closure of NCEL Port Hueneme. This recommendation was approved by President Clinton and accepted by the One Hundred Third Congress in 1993. The former NCEL property once occupied 33.1 acres along the Pacific Ocean in the City of Port Hueneme, which is located in Ventura County, California. NCEL was adjacent to the Oxnard Harbor District's Port of Hueneme, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles and 40 miles southeast of Santa Barbara, California. The property contained 53 structures that were used for Naval research and development.

NCEL Port Hueneme officially closed in April 1996 and the Navy was able to dispose of the property later that year in a manner consistent with the NCEL Community Reuse Plan's proposal for port and maritime activities. The Secretary of the Navy commended Mr. Margrave for successfully negotiating innovative site mitigation actions with California State regulators and efficiently managing soil and groundwater remediation projects with Navy contractors.

• BRAC Talk - Port Hueneme Facility Completes Accelerated Cleanup: The U.S. Navy achieved an environmental cleanup milestone in May 1996 when the oceanfront home of the former Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory (NCEL) in Port Hueneme, California completed regulatory cleanup requirements. NCEL became the first BRAC Navy base in California with soil and groundwater contamination that has met all the regulatory requirements for environmental cleanup and complete and unrestricted transfer to the public.



• Final Removal Action Closed Out Report (1996): The California Environmental Protection Agency (CallEPA) has completed review of the replacement pages to the draft document dated April I, 1996, prepared by OHM Remediation Services Corporation. CalEPA hereby concurs with the recommendation of no further action required for unrestricted use for Installation Restoration Program Sites I and 2 and underground storage tank sites 562, 565, and 591.

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