We completed all planned field work at the former PSB [Public Safety Building] site in July 2024 and have determined debris is buried deeper in the hillside than our lagging wall allows us to go. In discussions with the Partners (District of Columbia & the U.S. EPA) we are exploring the idea of leaving the remaining debris in place as the effort to get more out would be very disruptive and intrusive to AU campus operations and provide minimal risk mitigation. A final determination will be made in close coordination with the Partners and the landowner. While a decision is made on whether to leave debris in place, the remaining debris is being mapped as accurately as possible so as to allow a long term management plan with the landowner to be established if necessary.
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With respect to mapping the remainder of the debris, we are now processing a change to our contractor’s tasking at the site and will issue a modification authorizing a rotosonic drill investigation to determine the boundaries of the remaining debris. If this course of action is accepted by all parties (leaving debris in place), it would represent a change from the 2017 Decision Document and we would prepare a Record of Decision Amendment that would explain the deviation from the 2017 document [pgs. 25, 57 90 - 92] and discuss why such a change is appropriate and protective. This amendment would then be made available to the public via our website upon completion during calendar year 2026.
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Our contractor has finished all digging at the Former American University PSB and for the last several weeks has been working to restore the hillside in preparation for re-planting. We are dismantling site infrastructure and upon completion, will no longer have a daily presence on campus. This significant milestone is tempered by the fact that the debris layer we have been excavating is continuing past our hillside retaining wall and going deeper into the hill than we realized. Because of the danger of soil collapse, we cannot dig past the retaining wall. Remaining debris is under a minimum of 15 feet of clean, overburden soil, and discussions to determine a path forward are underway with the Partners and American University, including the likelihood that we may have to consider leaving the remaining debris in place and managing it as is in the future. We will continue to communicate with our stakeholders and will update this site as decisions are made.
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