Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base

Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base was a roughly 1,600 acre military installation located between Belton and Kansas City in western Missouri. The site began in 1941 as Grandview Airport, which the Army Air Forces used as an overflow training field during World War II, and it was developed into an Air Force base in 1952 during the early years of the Cold War. The Air Force deactivated the base in 1976, after which it operated as an Air Reserve Station that hosted units including the 442nd Tactical Fighter Wing. Following a 1991 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommendation, the installation closed on September 30, 1994, and much of the property was transferred for civilian reuse.

Decades of flight operations, aircraft maintenance, fuel handling and waste storage left a range of contaminants in soil and groundwater at the former base. Investigations under federal and state cleanup programs identified several areas of concern, and the substances below have been associated with the site in environmental records.

1. Jet fuel and petroleum products were stored in underground tanks and handled across fueling and maintenance areas, where spills and leaks introduced petroleum into soil and groundwater. Exposure to petroleum constituents has raised concerns about potential effects on the respiratory and nervous systems.
2. Chlorinated solvents, including TCE (trichloroethylene), were used as degreasers in vehicle and aircraft maintenance. Solvent releases have been associated with groundwater contamination, and concerns about potential long-term exposure to these compounds have been documented in scientific and regulatory literature.
3. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were present in electrical equipment such as transformers at the base, and PCB-contaminated equipment was removed during interim cleanup actions. PCBs are persistent in the environment and have been associated with a range of health concerns in studies of exposed populations.
4. Heavy metals such as those associated with maintenance, painting and waste disposal have been detected in site media. Concerns about potential exposure to certain metals relate to possible effects on the kidneys, nervous system and other organs.
5. Low-level radioactive waste was disposed of in a buried well or cell used intermittently between roughly 1955 and 1970, primarily for radium-painted instrument dials and dosimeters from aircraft. Measured radioactivity near the well was reported at or near background levels, and the disposal structure was exhumed and removed in 1997.
6. Pesticides applied for grounds and pest management at the installation have also been identified among the contaminants of concern, with general concerns about potential exposure noted in environmental reviews.
7. Unexploded ordnance and explosive residues have been listed among the contaminants of concern given the base's training and operational history, and such materials have been associated with physical safety and potential exposure concerns where present.

The former Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base was not placed on the National Priorities List as a Superfund site. Cleanup has instead been carried out under the federal BRAC program and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), overseen by a partnership of the U.S. Air Force, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Work has spanned more than 25 years and has included soil bioventing, removal of contaminated soil and underground storage tanks, removal of PCB-contaminated equipment, and capping and exhumation activities, with several areas reaching no-further-action determinations.

Veterans and others who served or worked at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base may wish to stay informed about the site's environmental records and any updates to cleanup activities. Anyone with questions about a possible connection between past service and a health condition is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which can provide current information on benefits, eligibility and health programs.