Advisory Board Ponders Impact of Stricter EPA Arsenic Standard

The Spring Valley Restoration Advisory Board this month heard about the stricter standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly developing to measure safe levels of arsenic in soil and drinking water. Changes would mean that all the figures the Army Corps has used to determine soil safety in its Spring Valley cleanup "could be thrown out," board member Lee Monsein said at the board's June 12 meeting.

The Army Corps has been working to cleanup chemical and explosive munitions and related debris from the Spring Valley area since 1993. During World War I, the Army used American University as a testing site, firing weapons into the then-undeveloped woods around campus.

EPA Risk Assessment on Arsenic

Nan Wells, an advisory neighborhood commissioner for the area, asked if the Army would have to clean up additional areas when the environmental agency sets new safety standards. The Army's Dan Noble, who co-chairs the advisory board, responded: "We are never going to walk away from a FUDS [Formerly Used Defense Site] site."
Northwest Current
June 27, 2012 ( pg. 5)

Glenbrook Rd. Deep Well Exceeds Arsenic MCL Down to 160 Feet

Multi-port deep well across street from Pit 3

Todd Beckwith (Project Manager): We collected two samples from this well. We did an initial sample in March and we went back out in April and collected another set of samples. So everything here highlighted in yellow represents chemistry results that were above the drinking water criteria. For both perchlorate and arsenic in these deeper intervals we're seeing some elevated concentrations ... The arsenic results were a little bit surprising. Back in 2005 - 2006 we had exceeded the MCL [maximum contaminant level] -- the 10 ppb standard -- just barely.

It was 10.5 then and since that time all of our sampling results for arsenic across all of Spring Valley have all been below 10 ppb, so we're a little surprised to see these concentrations ... We're going to go out and do some purging of this well; we'll pump a lot of water out of each one of those depth intervals. After we've done that, we'll collect a sample to make sure that the sample we send to the lab is truly representative of what's in that formation and the chemistry that we're seeing there hasn't been influenced by well construction activity.
Spring Valley FUDS
RAB Meeting Minutes
June 12, 2012

After 7 Months Cleanup Plan Still Awaiting Army Brass Signature

Army officials will likely grant final approval this month to demolish the house at 4825 Glenbrook Road, the site of a suspected burial pit of World War I-era debris. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to raze the house in July and excavate the site through summer 2013 ... The cleanup work at the property, which will remove potentially contaminated soil down to bedrock, will also encroach on the neighboring house at 4835 Glenbrook, now occupied by American University’s president. 
   
The Army Corps believes that property may include a possible “hot spot” of hazardous material beneath a retaining wall. Once the 4825 house is demolished, a protective cover will go over the excavation area to shield workers and neighbors from direct contact with possible contaminants. Workers will also install a chemical-agent filtration system, along with a generator and noise-control devices.
Northwest Current
May 16, 2012 (pg. 5)

4825 Glenbrook Road information page

Corps Will Investigate Last Nine "Areas of Interest" in Spring Valley

Plans are currently underway to perform additional soil sampling at four discrete areas, involving 18 residential properties and a portion of the AU campus ... The purpose of this additional sampling effort is to supplement the existing data to ensure sufficient information exists to make human health and ecological risk determinations. All sampling and investigative data, and the subsequent human health and ecological risk evaluations, will be presented in the site-wide Spring Valley Remedial Investigation report and available for public review upon its finalization (which is anticipated in 2014).

Spring Valley FUDS 

Project Summary
May 2012

Area of Interest Status Map

Kathleen Connell (RAB Member): Why was there a substantial delay between 1993 and 1999 and doing it now? If these were identified as properties that had potential interest, why was nothing done at that period of time?

Dan Noble (Project Manager): We prioritized our requirements for the project. Eachyear, as we got our money we spoke with the Partners about what needed to be done  and focused on what we felt needed to be done first. This effort is essentially collecting more data to further address some of the issues that came up during the 1999 EPA Risk Assessment ... This [investigation] would certainly bring an end to our field work, other than continued groundwater monitoring and the work at 4825 Glenbrook.
Spring Valley FUDS
RAB Meeting Minutes
May 8, 2012

Boldface AOI's remain to be investigated

University Says It Paid to Ensure Quicker, More "Focused" Cleanup

AU hired a lobbying firm to ensure the Army Corps of Engineers’ Spring Valley project would remain a priority of the U.S. government and maintain adequate funding ... The University employed D.C.-based Cassidy and Associates from 2005 to 2009. The annual expense for the company’s services was a little under $145,000 ...

"The University’s efforts benefited not only AU but the Spring Valley community by keeping the Corps funded and focused,” [assistant vice president for communications & media Camille] Lepre said. “During the term of the engagement, funding for the cleanup was increased substantially, enabling work to be completed in a much shorter time frame than originally planned.”
Alex Greco
The Eagle
May 1, 2012 (pg. 8)

Cassidy & Associates

Army Will Compare University Plume, Sibley Hospital Perchlorate

In order to determine whether the two perchlorate plumes (at AU and Sibley) originated from the same source, USACE is collecting and will be analyzing perchlorate samples using isotopic analysis. In March a perchlorate sample was collected on the AU campus from an existing well [PZ-4] where elevated levels of perchlorate have previously been detected.

 Site-wide groundwater sampling results (2012)

A perchlorate sample will also be collected near Sibley Memorial Hospital in April 2012. Perchlorate is comprised of chlorine and oxygen, and specific isotope ratios of these elements can reveal information about the perchlorate source. This effort involves continuous groundwater pumping and filtration at each location for several days to separate and collect a sufficient amount of perchlorate that can then be analyzed.
Spring Valley FUDS Project Summary
March 2012

Anomaly Investigation Yields Cultural Debris, No Munitions

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued its search for buried WWI-era military materials on AU's campus over spring break, but this latest effort in the 19-year investigation yielded no results ... The Corps also dug four trenches in the Kreeger parking lot and roadway to investigate whether "anomalies," or metallic objects previously used by the Army, were buried there ...

No anomalies were found, only construction debris and litter such as Coke bottles, according to the Spring Valley Community Outreach Team. After the investigations, the trenches were repaved, and the Kreeger parking lot was reopened for use. The entire process took place over spring break, as requested by AU, to reduce any disruptions for students.
Ryan Migeed
The Eagle
April 10, 2012 (pg. 5)

2.5-Acre Kreeger Area Anomaly Investigation