The Tri-Service and EPA test locations of the SERDP National Environmental Technology Test Site (NETTS) program were comprised of a network of well-characterized demonstration sites at DoD installations. The goal of this SERDP-funded program was to provide accessible, well-supported field locations for project proof-of-principle tests, applied research, and comparative demonstrations, as well as to facilitate transfer of innovative environmental technologies from research to full-scale use. The SERDP NETTS program was created primarily for DoD, DOE, and EPA users, but the locations also were available to other agencies and the private sector.

The National Center for Integrated Bioremediation Research and Development (NCIBRD) located at the former Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda, Michigan, was supported in part by SERDP funding through the U.S. EPA. Wurtsmith AFB is a former Strategic Air Command B-52 base. It is under the authority of the U.S. Air Force Base Conversion Agency, which has responsibility for the cleanup and conversion to civilian use of more than 50 contaminated sites and associated properties. The objective of this NETTS location was to support field evaluations of site characterization and in situ bioremediation technologies for hydrocarbon fuels and chlorinated solvent contamination.

Numerous sites on base were available for evaluating in situ characterization and cleanup technologies. The location maintained a controlled release facility, Michigan Integrated Remediation Technology Laboratory (MIRTL), in which natural and controlled gradient in situ groundwater experiments could be conducted. Controlled releases of dissolved fuel contaminants and various tracers were conducted in the two test lanes. The facility also maintained monitoring networks at specific sites on a quarterly basis, a network of water level recorders base-wide, as well as a relational database which prospective collaborators and demonstrators could use to view historical data.

This NETTS location supported field evaluations of site characterization and in situ bioremediation technologies for hydrocarbon fuels and chlorinated solvent contamination. The below table provides a list of some of the demonstrations hosted at the former Wurtsmith AFB.

The NETTS program established test locations at federal facilities for hosting government and private organizations to rigorously test and evaluate new environmental characterization and remediation technologies. The demonstration program at each location was designed to obtain realistic environmental and economic information that may transfer nationwide to support the adoption and use of more cost-effective and high-performance technologies. (Completed – 2007)