Sgt. Maurer WMD Pit Discovered Next to Glenbrook Road House

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has unearthed three broken glass jugs in Spring Valley that might have come from the long-sought Sgt. Maurer burial pit, according to a D.C. Deparment of the Environment official. The pit is believed to hold more than 20 containers of mustard agent or other chemical weapons materiel. The jugs were found Monday near the house a 4825 Glenbrook Road, indicating that the pit might be beneath or near the home's foundation.
Ian Thomas
Northwest Current (January 27, 2010: pg. 1)

“We have always said that attempting to name a pit the 'Sgt. Maurer pit' is a difficult task,” [Army Corps spokesman Clem Gaines] added. “It could be Pit 1, 2 or 3, or it could be a pit that over the years has been demolished by all the development in the Glenbrook Road area” ... [District Department of the Environment specialist Dr. Richard] Albright conveyed his sympathies to AU, which volunteered its campus to be used as an experimental station for the Army’s Chemical Corps during World War I. “They tried to do the patriotic thing in 1917, and now I’m sure they’re still ruing that decision."
Christopher Cottrell
The Eagle (January 31, 2010: pg. 1)

75mm Round Found Under Front Entrance of Public Safety Building

Courtesy of USACE

The Army Corps of Engineers unearthed more munitions debris next to the Public Safety building during this winter break. On Jan. 4, workers found a single 75mm round buried four feet underneath a concrete slab that they had removed in front of the building’s lower entrance ... Kent Slowinski, a community activist and former Restoration Advisory Board member, said recent work conducted by the Army Corps indicates a likelihood that the debris field around the Public Safety building extends underneath the building, because debris from the AU Experimental Station has been found behind and in front of it ... David Taylor [President Neil Kerwin’s chief of staff] confirmed that the operation is “winding down,” but that debris collection is ongoing.
Christopher Cottrell
The Eagle
January 21, 2010

Army Chasing Perchlorate Groundwater Plume Across University Campus

New monitoring wells are upgradient of Kreeger Hall contamination

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued its groundwater study in Spring Valley this fall, which included the installation of four new groundwater monitoring wells and the sampling of existing monitoring wells, as well as, surface water locations ... Of the four newly installed wells, three were placed on the American University property to help better understand the source of the perchlorate detections in the area, and to characterize the nature and extent of the perchlorate groundwater plume.
The Corps'pondent
December 2009 (pg. 3)

146 ppb perchlorate in groundwater 10 yds north of Kreeger Hall

These wells will assist with the investigation to locate the source and migration of a possible perchlorate plume located underneath the southeast portion of the AU campus. Current shallow well data indicates a potential plume of perchlorate migrating west and could discharge to East Creek ... To date, the highest perchlorate level detected in the groundwater study area is 146 ppb, which is located on the AU campus [next to Kreeger Hall] PZ 4. Several of the shallow groundwater wells have revealed elevated perchlorate levels scattered thoughout the southwestern part of the AU campus and Sibley Hospital. Three additional wells, located upgradient of the well with the highest perchlorate reading, PZ 4, are proposed to determine the extent and levels of perchlorate contamination.
Partnering Meeting Minutes
April 29 - 30, 2008 (pg. 3)

Objections Raised to Neutralizing WMDs Next to Sibley Hospital

Sibley Memorial Hospital

These munitions were recovered over the past two years using redundant safety measures including a blast containment structure, a siren, warning signs and instructions for nearby residents to shelter “in place.” None of these safety measures will be in effect during the munitions destruction. The safety arc during recovery was 740 feet, but the safety arc for the destruction has been reduced to 400 feet. We’re dealing with the same munitions, chemical warfare agents and explosives. Why the 340-foot difference?

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2009)

The Corps moved both chemical and coventional munitions safely from American University through Spring Valley to the Interim Holding Facility north of Sibley Hospital. Each munition is safely packaged in a stainless steel Multiple Round Container, which is designed to withstand an accidental explosion. Now the Army claims it's unsafe to transport these same munitions to the the Naval Research Lab.
Environmental Health Group:
"Proposed Munitions Destruction Behind Sibley Hospital"

Army "Open House" Fields Questions on Proposed Munitions Destruction

Kent Slowinski, Nan Wells, Dan Noble, Lan Reeser & Michael Lent

The Army Corps of Engineers wants to dispose of bombs that could be considered weapons of mass destruction behind Sibley Memorial Hospital, on federal land close to the Dalecarlia Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to D.C. and parts of Northern Virginia ... In 1917 the Army ... blew up bombs in the fields and forests around the [American University] campus. For decades, as the fields were carved into streets with stately homes, the former use stayed a secret, and toxic chemicals stayed buried. In 1993, construction workers bulldozed up bombs. The corps has been digging up weapons pits and cleaning gardens for 16 years ...

Slowinski and ANC Commissioner Nan Wells ... want deeper investigations into the history and the land. They want a health study, which might lead to more chemicals. They are not sure they want the bombs blown up in the neighborhood. "Why not hold off on destruction until they see if they find more munitions?" Slowinski asks. "They can destroy it all -- at the Naval Research Lab."
Harry Jaffe
Washington Examiner
December 9, 2009

30 Days to Comment on Disposal of Chemical Warfare Materiel

Draft EE/CA (November 2009)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed an evaluation of alternatives [EE/CA] for the disposal of discarded military munitions recovered during investigations at the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site ... USACE is in the process of investigating and cleaning up contamination resulting from operations during the World War I era. As a result of recent investigation efforts, a number of munitions were discovered. These include recovered chemical warfare materiel as well as conventional munitions that contain explosives ... This Notice serves as formal notification of the availability of the EE/CA for review, and the commencement of the 30-day public comment period.
Public Notice
Washington Post (November 30, 2009)

Several community activists worry about the safety hazards of exploding such dangerous chemicals near a residential neighborhood. "I think it would be much safer destroying the munitions on a military installation where you have some control of the population, instead of less than 500 feet from a residential neighborhood and less than 1,000 feet from the Dalecarlia Reservoir, which is the District's water supply," said Kent Slowinski ... Alma Gates, a member of the Restoration Advisory Board and a former Palisades advisory neighborhood commissioner, said she is confident in the Army's proposal.
Northwest Current
December 2, 2009: pg. 1

Magnetic Survey Flags Anomalies in Woods behind Sibley Hospital

"Red tulips" bloom on Federal property in Dalecarlia Woods

Geophysical surveys are currently underway on 62 acres of federal and District of Columbia property [in the Dalecarlia Woods on the property of the Washington Aqueduct between Dalecarlia Parkway and the reservoir] ... A report of all anomalies detected will be generated for each subset of Dalecarlia Woods survey grids, followed by Anomaly Review Board (ARB) assessment and intrusive investigation ... The Dalecarlia Woods geophysical survey and intrusive investigations will tentatively require an anticipated time frame of 12 to 14 months until completion.
Restoration Advisory Board, Meeting Minutes
October 13, 2009 (pg, 11)