Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport, part of Naval Base Kitsap, is a Navy installation occupying about 340 acres of upland and tidelands beside the town of Keyport in Kitsap County, Washington, roughly 15 miles west of Seattle. The facility is bordered by Liberty Bay and Port Orchard Inlet, and it has long served as a quiet-water range for torpedo testing and as a site for the engineering, assembly, and testing of undersea warfare weapons systems. Operations at the station date back many decades, and historical industrial work included metal plating, machining, and weapons fabrication. Over the years, waste disposal practices and a former unlined landfill left a lasting mark on the surrounding environment. The base remains an active center for undersea systems work today.

Because of these past activities, federal and state agencies have identified a range of contaminants in soil, groundwater, and nearby marine sediment. The concerns center on solvents, metals, and other industrial chemicals associated with the landfill, spill areas, a sludge disposal area, and shoreline outfalls that once discharged waste toward Liberty Bay.

1. Trichloroethylene (TCE): TCE is an industrial solvent historically used for degreasing metal parts and equipment, work consistent with the machining and weapons fabrication carried out at Keyport. Along with related solvents such as carbon tetrachloride and methyl ethyl ketone, it was detected in site soil and groundwater. Exposure to TCE has been associated in some studies with effects on the liver, kidneys, immune system, and developmental health, which is why agencies monitor it closely.
2. Heavy metals: Metals including cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, tin, and zinc, along with cyanide, were generated by plating and industrial operations and have been found in site soils and in Liberty Bay sediment. Long-term exposure to certain heavy metals has been associated with concerns about effects on the kidneys, nervous system, and other organs, and shellfish near the shoreline have been part of monitoring efforts.
3. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): PCBs are a group of manufactured chemicals once common in electrical equipment, hydraulic systems, and other industrial uses, and they have been reported among the contaminants of concern associated with the site. PCBs persist in the environment and can accumulate in sediment and aquatic life. Exposure has been associated with potential effects on the immune, reproductive, and endocrine systems in some research.
4. PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are persistent compounds that the Navy links largely to the past use of AFFF firefighting foam during training and emergency response. The Navy has included Keyport among Kitsap County sites under investigation for potential PFAS contamination, and broader Navy testing in the county has found PFAS in numerous drinking water wells. Some PFAS compounds have been associated in studies with concerns about cholesterol, immune response, and certain other health outcomes.

The site, listed by the EPA as the Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station (4 Waste Areas), was added to the National Priorities List as a federal Superfund site in 1989. Cleanup has proceeded under CERCLA in coordination with the Washington State Department of Ecology, with formal cleanup decisions signed in the 1990s and active remediation reported as substantially completed around 2000. Long-term groundwater, sediment, and shellfish monitoring, institutional controls, and periodic five-year reviews continue, and supplemental investigations, including those addressing PFAS, remain ongoing.

Veterans, civilian workers, and family members who served at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport may wish to stay informed as monitoring and investigations continue. Anyone with questions about potential exposure or related health concerns is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal healthcare provider, who can offer guidance based on individual history.