AUES Debris Under Hill Next to PSB Won't Be Removed until 2022

USACE Baltimore provided a brief update on the former Public Safety Building (PSB) ... A "contract modification" is in process to award the investigation work for the American University Experiment Station (AUES) debris observed extending into the northern hillside ... [Project manager] Dan Noble explained that there is a restoration agreement between AU and USACE, but the agreement focused on the footprint of the former PSB, since it was believed that the debris was confined to the footprint boundary ... Now that the same type of debris is observed extending into the hillside, the first step is to determine how far the debris extends. There is a concern that if the debris extends too far into the hillside, excavations to remove the debris would come too close to a major utility corridor ... Additionally, current erosion controls would need to be beefed up to prevent the hillside from collapsing.

Spring Valley 

RAB  Meeting Minutes

January 12, 2021 (pgs. 4 - 5)

 

 

Rig collecting soil cores for AUES screening (pg. 27)

[USACE] conducted Rotosonic drilling and test pit investigation[s] to determine extent of AUES debris north, east and west of the PSB foundation slab.  Completed seven test pit excavations and soil screening east, west and northeast of the former PSB foundation.  Completed six angled Rotosonic borings north of the former PSB foundation and 4-inch diameter soil core screening for AUES debris ... Once funding has been obtained and the work awarded, additional plans will be required before re-starting the soil remediation work.  This will entail a demobilization and delay of many months before the work is awarded and the required planning documents are prepared and approved.  Slope soil removal not expected to begin until late 2021.  
Spring Valley FUDS

Partnering Meeting

April 28, 2021 (pgs. 22 & 33)

Construction of Rotosonic drilling pad (pg. 27)

In preparation for the investigation of debris going into the northern hillside, a drilling pad and access ramp was constructed at the top of the slope of the PSB excavation area.  The pad will stage the drill to be used for soil coring activities as a part of the investigation ... Additional boring work is expected to be conducted in the spring/summer time frame.  Once the additional investigation is complete, the team will have a better understanding of how much debris extends into hillside beyond the PSB footprint.
Spring Valley RAB
Meeting Minutes
March 9, 2021 (pgs. 11 - 12)

 

Proposed & completed angled drill borings (pg. 26)

USACE awarded Rotosonic drilling and test pit investigation "Scope of Work" on 3 February 2021 to determine the extent of AUES debris north, east & west of the PSB foundation slab.  Completed seven test pit excavations and soil screening east, west and northeast of the former PSB foundation ... [Will] conduct Rotosonic drilling of six angled boreholes, collect continuous 4-inch diameter soil cores and evaluate soil cores for AUES debris layers.  [Will] prepare a PSB Slope Investigation report ... Based on the investigation results USACE will determine the scope of work to excavate the extent of AUES debris identified ... Additional plans will be required before re-starting the soil remediation work – this will most likely entail a demobilization and delay of several months. 
Spring Valley FUDS
Partnering Meeting
February 19, 2021 (pgs. 35, 40 & 42)

Rain Exposes AUES-Type Munition, Closing Part of National Park

Allen Hengst: On July 25th it was reported in an UXO newsletter that a 75 mm “World War I-era” artillery shell was exposed by heavy rains at Fort Totten Park [in northeast Washington, DC].  Can someone on the Spring Valley FUDS team please ascertain whether that recovered shell originated at [American University Experiment Station] AUES?

 

WWI shell closed trail between Galloway & Gallatin streets

Dan Noble [project manager] explained that USACE was recently in communication with the National Park Service on that issue.  NPS is preparing to survey the area for any additional munitions.  USACE is serving as a technical consultant for NPS on the project.  NPS has hired a contractor and may have begun survey activities this week.  The project plan is to complete the survey before allowing all of  Ft. Totten Park to re-open.  The survey will include an investigation for additional munitions and sampling the soil for contamination ... USACE inspected and obtained x-rays of the shell.  The shell was found to be a 75mm with a hex plug.  This type of munition was often found in Spring Valley ... 

 

Hengst: If it turns out to be a Spring Valley AUES munition, that is outside the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) boundary, will you be responsible for the clean-up and cost?

 

Noble explained that, at this time, NPS is taking the lead on the project and is responsible for the cost.  Ft. Totten is also a separate FUDS site, so if a larger problem at the site is detected, USACE and NPS will be in communication to determine the lead on the work, how that work should proceed, and the responsibility for the cost.  So, the answer is, "perhaps."  

Spring Valley RAB

Meeting Minutes
January 12, 2021 (pg. 7)

 

 UXOInfo.com news report from last July

D. Noble explained that he believes Sgt. Maurer’s pit was within the footprint of the former house at 4825 Glenbrook Road, and the builder excavated into Sgt. Maurer’s pit.  The remaining contamination at the front of the former house represents debris that was pulled forward, moved out of the way, and left behind.  Noble believes that the debris was not found where the soldiers buried the debris in Sgt. Maurer’s pit, but where the builder left the debris in the front yard in the early 1990s ... Noble explained that USACE Baltimore is not investigating the final location of the removed debris from the 1990s.  Both USACE Baltimore and DOEE [previously] investigated ... 

 

It is known that the debris was sent to the Ft. Totten area when the nearby Ft. Totten metro station was being built.  Soil was needed at the new metro station to level out an equipment yard for the metro contractor.  Some soil was sent to that area and the contractor began to spread the contaminated soil out.  The area is Park Service land, lent to the Metro Authority for the construction project.  The Park Service employee overseeing the land ordered that the contaminated soil be taken away.  Eventually, the contaminated soil was taken away and the final destination of the soil is unknown.

Spring Valley RAB

Meeting Minutes

March 10, 2020 (pg. 13 - 14)

 

Fort Totten foot trail closed by NPS

4 of 92 Spring Valley Homeowners Still Resist Cleanup Investigation

The Remedial Action progress map for the 92 residential properties and 13 Federal/City lots [on slide #12 of the presentation] shows: 1) properties with no color and highlighted with blue borders indicate residential properties and city lots that have been completed; 2) properties shown in green indicate properties that have active contact and are undergoing the RA clean-up process; 3) properties shown in blue indicate properties where efforts are being made to engage the properties but have not yet reached a firm commitment.  To date, four properties remain unclear whether access will be given ...

Cleanup at 4 properties "remains unclear" (pg. 12)

[Project manager] Dan Noble explained that since the properties are private properties, the only option that USACE has is to explain to the homeowners that the remedial effort is worthwhile.  From USACE’s perspective, the goal is to remediate the four areas associated with the former American University Experiment Station (AUES) testing activities ... In any one of the remaining areas where a property owner has declined, the coverage might still be sufficient for the Partners to determine that the issues in those areas have been addressed ... Noble explained that if a property owner declines remediation activities on their property, that property owner will not receive a property-specific assurance letter. 
Spring Valley RAB
Meeting Minutes
November 10, 2020 (pg. 4 - 5)

Explosive Stokes Mortar Round Unearthed on Quebec Street

During intrusive investigations on September 16, the team encountered an intact 3-inch Stokes mortar round on Quebec Street within Area of Interest (AOI) 13.  The Army Corps’ ordnance and explosives safety specialist and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit from Joint Base Andrews responded to the site.  The item was x-rayed in place, examined, and safely transported offsite by the EOD unit for disposal.  The item was destroyed on the range the same day.  Based on observations of the explosion during disposal, the EOD unit reported that the 3” Stokes mortar contained 2½ pounds of high explosive (HE) filler.  Due to the HE filler, the item was determined to be a munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) item ... Noble explained that the item was located one foot down ... This property was part of the previous remedial investigation in 2006 ...

3-inch Stokes mortar found on Quebec Street (pg. 14)

During the previous remedial investigation, the teams were not removing vegetation for anomaly investigation, only investigating open areas.  The Stokes mortar was located in the footprint of a large mature rhododendron.  During the current remedial action, the homeowner allowed the removal of the rhododendron to scan the ground underneath that had not been previously investigated ... In this case, the Stokes mortar contained a high explosive fill, so there was detonation potential associated with the item ... Based on where the item was found, in AOI 13 bordering the AU campus and the former experiment station, it is likely that the Stokes mortar was not fired.  The item was not found in an impact area.  The item may have been a munition brought in to be worked on and discarded in the area for some reason.  The item was most likely a discarded military munition, rather than UXO [unexploded ordnance].
Spring Valley RAB
Meeting Minutes
November 10, 2020 (pg. 6 - 7)

Munitions & Lab Debris Extend North Beyond PSB Footprint

After resuming field work at American University’s former Public Safety Building in July, the team began digging test pits at the site in order to determine the final excavation boundaries, as well as to conduct confirmation soil sampling ... The team continues to encounter lab grade glassware debris and have followed it into the northern hillside edge of the former PSB footprint.  Through further investigation the debris appears to extend outside of the northwestern footprint and near the existing sump.  The team has prepared work plans and is evaluating the removal of the debris trail into the hillside.  The uncovered material in the test pit sidewall was screened for munition debris and AU items.  The batch glass and metal debris cleared headspace analysis and was shipped for confirmation analysis.  The concrete sump structure was broken down into smaller pieces loaded into a roll-off container, and transported to the staging area at the federal compound pending off-site disposal.
Spring Valley RAB
Meeting Slides
September 15, 2020 (pgs. 15 - 16)

Debris chased 8 ft. north of PSB slab (pg. 20)

Conducted test pitting horizontally into the north sidewall of PSB excavation (grid D-3) to determine the extent of the dark soil layer with American University Experiment Station debris identified at approximately 2 to 3.5 feet below the slab.  Advanced 8 feet north of former PSB slab –  AUES debris was still evident, but Team had to stop due to slope stability concerns ... The bulk of the dark brown soil with abundant AUES glass debris and munition debris has been excavated and removed from below the slab, however, the AUES debris field encountered at 1 - 4 feet below the slab extends north beyond the slab into the soil slope – an as yet undetermined distance ... The AUES debris layer contained dark brown soil, abundant unsealed lab glassware bottles, pipettes & tubes, plus munitions debris from 75-mm projectiles and 4” Stokes mortar rounds.
Spring Valley FUDS
Partnering Meeting
August 2020 (pgs. 22 - 33)

AUES lab & munition debris encountered (pg. 32)

Some Homeowners Now Reluctant to Allow Intrusive Investigations

The Site-Wide geophysical surveys and intrusive anomaly investigations at the private residences has continued without delays from COVID-19 prevention measure ... To date, 60 out of the 92 total homes have been intrusively investigated.  The team is noticing more logistical difficulties with obtaining the approval of landscape plans by the property owners to allow geophysical surveys to begin.  There may be a small group of properties at the end of the project that will be very difficult, if at all possible, to obtain approval to complete remedial activity [RA] ... The remaining groups of properties include more reluctant homeowners that are either selling their homes, are new home owners, or are reluctant to begin the intrusive investigation at this time ... USACE Baltimore explained that the team is meeting resistance because, until now, the teams have been working with the groups of homeowners that were eager to complete the remedial action as soon as possible. 

Status of intrusive residential investigations (pg. 15)

Those homeowners were prioritized into the first groups of properties that were intrusively investigated.  Now that those groups of properties have been completed, USACE Baltimore is reaching out to the homeowners that did not volunteer ... Some of the remaining homeowners are not convinced that there is a risk or believe that the intrusive investigation may increase any existing small risk ... At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, 5 - 6 homeowners were willing to allow the work but due to concerns about COVID-19, they do not want extra people on their property ... The Outreach Team is developing different ways to explain the effort to homeowners during the pandemic.  Several homeowners who we have completed RA work with have volunteered to speak about their experience participating in the project to reluctant homeowners.  USACE Baltimore expects to complete remedial activity at 70 properties with few issues, but the possibility of completing remedial activity at the last 22 is unclear at this time.
Spring Valley FUDS
Partnering Meeting Minutes
July 16, 2020 (pg. 3 - 4)

Defying Science, Decree & Law: EPA Won't Set Perchlorate DWS

In an extraordinary decision, President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Andrew Wheeler has decided to defy a court-ordered consent decree requiring the agency to issue a drinking water standard for the widespread contaminant perchlorate.  Studies show this chemical poses threats to the brain development of fetuses and young infants and has been found in millions of Americans’ tap water.  The decision, which not only ignores the science but violates a court order and the law, is expected to be announced publicly in coming weeks.  Perchlorate is a component of rocket fuel, munitions, and fireworks that the Obama EPA determined in 2011 requires regulation because of the health threat it poses to the drinking water of as many as 16 million Americans ... Because perchlorate threatens the health of fetuses, infants, and young children especially, the American Academy of Pediatrics, multiple independent scientists, and many states (as discussed below) have weighed in, urging EPA to set a strict standard for perchlorate in drinking water.  They have been ignored by Wheeler ... The Obama EPA found in 2011 that a perchlorate drinking water standard was needed to protect health, especially that of vulnerable fetuses and young children.  This finding triggered a legal duty to regulate perchlorate.  

When EPA was slow to issue standards after that finding, NRDC sued, and a federal judge hearing the case said that EPA needs “a fire lit under them” to address the urgent problem.  In response, the agency agreed in a court-approved consent decree to propose a perchlorate drinking water standard by October 2018 and to finalize it by late 2019.  EPA sought extensions, citing the need for more study, so the standard is now due in June 2020.  In an astonishing step, Wheeler is purporting to revoke the agency’s 2011 finding that a perchlorate standard is needed to protect the health of millions of Americans, especially fetuses, infants, and young children.  EPA therefore will not comply with the court-ordered consent decree requiring a final drinking water standard for perchlorate by June 2020 and will not comply with the legal requirement to set a standard once it has formally determined that one is necessary ... When EPA was first considering establishing a drinking water standard for perchlorate in the early 2000s, documents NRDC obtained through litigation under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the DOD and its contractors mobilized a massive campaign to stop the agency from moving forward.
Erik D. Olson 
Natural Resources Defense Council
May 14, 2020

Wheeler won't impose perchlorate limits to protect health.

The country's primary government agency in charge of protecting human health and the environment is choosing NOT to regulate a chemical called perchlorate in drinking water.  While an official decision hasn't been published yet, this week it was reported that Andrew Wheeler, the administrator of the EPA, decided the agency will not impose limits on perchlorate to protect human health.  The agency was required to establish drinking water standards for the chemical by next month.  To be clear, everyone reading this article almost certainly has perchlorate in their bloodstream.  Perhaps more importantly, perchlorate is even found in amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood, so fetuses are being exposed.  If we are all exposed, then why would the EPA choose not to regulate it unless it is safe? ... Perchlorate can interfere with normal brain development in our children ... The right amount of thyroid hormone is essential for the human brain to develop properly.  This is true from early on in the first trimester of pregnancy well into the second year of childhood.  Perchlorate can block the ability of our thyroid glands to get enough iodine to make the proper amount of thyroid hormone.  So, perchlorate is most certainly hazardous ... 

Most of the environmental perchlorate we are exposed to is man-made.  It is both easy and cheap to make and it is used primarily as an ingredient in explosives.  Fireworks, air-bags, rocket fuel, ammunition are all important sources of perchlorate.  Over many decades of careless disposal, many parts of the country have become heavily contaminated — to the extent that major river systems have measurable levels of perchlorate.  Much of this contamination has come from military installations — the Department of Defense.  And, using your tax dollars, they have fought hard to avoid having to clean it up (again with your tax dollars) ... When the EPA first performed a risk assessment on perchlorate in the 1990s, they initially proposed a safe level in drinking water to be one microgram per liter of water.  This is about a drop of water in an Olympic size pool. Massachusetts, for example, currently has a drinking water standard of two micrograms per liter.  So, the most important federal agency charged with protecting human health and the environment has "evolved" from a health protective proposal to no regulation at all.
R. Thomas Zoeller
Environmental Health News
May 18, 2020