Conventional Munitions Will be Destroyed Behind Hospital Soon

Later this fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to mobilize a Controlled Detonation Chamber (CDC) to the Spring Valley federal property to destroy the conventional munitions that were recovered during recent investigations at Spring Valley.. . The destruction process begins by wrapping a donor explosive, or rolled sheet explosive, around the munition, placing the munition in the CDC, then closing and sealing the door. Once the door is closed, the donor explosive is remotely detonated.

In addition to the inherent safety measures built into the detonation chamber, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to use sandbag barriers to ensure the safety of the workers and the surrounding community during the operation. The safety and setup plans are currently being reviewed by various organizations within the Department of Defense, as well as the Corps’ regulatory partners.
The Corps'pondent
September 2010

Munitions Investigation Next to Reservoir Nears Completion

Work is progressing on the geophysical investigation that began last summer of a 62-acre section of Dalecarlia Woods, located adjacent to the Dalecarlia Parkway. A portion of the site was used by the U.S. Army during World War I as a target/impact area and for possible munitions disposal ... Earth Resources Techology has completed the geophysical survey on about 70 percent of survey area and plans to finish the geophysical data collection on the entire 62-acres by this fall ... "They are planning to begin the first 10 acres of the intrusive anomaly investigation of the woods by the fall of this year and complete the activity by the summer of 2011,” said Lan Reeser, USACE design team leader.
The Corps'pondent
September 2010

CERCLA Feasibility Study Will Delay Pit 3 Dig at Least 9 Months

Workers in Emergency Containment Structure demobilize Pit 3

Progress was made this month in determining the next step in the administrative process for the Pit 3 Area property on Glenbrook Road ... A decision was made to begin a Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study is the part of the administrative Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act process in which there is a comprehensive review of all information and data generated to date at the property.

In coming months, USACE will draft the Feasibility Study document for the Pit 3 Area property on Glenbrook Road and will analyze all options for final cleanup of the property. A Proposed Plan containing potential options and the recommended approach for conducting the cleanup of the property will then be published and made available for public review and comment.
Spring Valley Project Monthly Update
August 2010

"Nothing Unusual" about Indoor Air Monitoring at AU President's House

4835 Glenbrook Road

AU also announced that it has been conducting periodic air monitoring at president [Neil Kerwin's] residence. Many of the chemicals in the soil at Pit 3 react with the air to give off gas and toxic fumes .... Some members of the community are upset because AU had not told the Army Corps of Engineers or Spring Valley residents that it was conducting air quality tests at the president’s residence, according to [Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Tom] Smith.

“I was somewhat stunned … because air monitoring is a very sensitive issue in the neighborhood. Some residents have pushed the Army to conduct air monitoring in their homes, and the Army has refused,” Smith wrote in an e-mail. [David] Taylor and [Jorge] Abud claim there was nothing unusual about air monitoring tests at the president’s house.
Mitch Ellmauer
The Eagle
September 1, 2010