Form Approved
REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE
OMB No. 0704-0188
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1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank)
2. REPORT DATE
3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED
December 1996
4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE
5. FUNDING NUMBERS
Physical Processes and Natural Attenuation Alternatives for Remediation of
White Phosphorus Contamination, Eagle River Flats, Fort Richardson, Alaska
6. AUTHORS
Daniel E. Lawson, Lewis E. Hunter and Susan R. Bigl
7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
REPORT NUMBER
U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
72 Lyme Road
CRREL Report 96-13
Hanover, New Hampshire 03755-1290
9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)
10. SPONSORING/MONITORING
AGENCY REPORT NUMBER
U.S. Army Alaska
Environmental Resources Department
Directorate of Public Works
Fort Richardson, Alaska
11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
For conversion of SI units to non-SI units of measurement consult ASTM Standard E380-93, Standard Practice for Use of the
International System of Units, published by the American Society for Testing and Materials, 1916 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa.
19103.
12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Available from NTIS, Springfield, Virginia 22161
13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words)
This report describes the results of investigations into the role of tidal flat physical systems in the natural
attenuation of white phosphorus (WP) contamination in Eagle River Flats (ERF) on Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Waterfowl feeding in ponds and marshes here ingest the WP and die. These investigations found that natural
attenuation and in-situ degradation of the WP could result from certain physical phenomena operating within
the ERF ecosystem. Specifically, the on-going erosion and headward recession in the gullies will drain large
areas of contaminated ponds in an estimated 1 to 10 years. Lowering of water levels should lead to in-situ WP
degradation and natural attenuation as pond sediments dry. Annual sedimentation rates in some ponds and
marshes are sufficient to bury WP in several years or more and thereby reduce the exposure to feeding
waterfowl. Ice and water are also effective transporters of WP, moving it about ERF and into Eagle River and
eventually into Knik Arm where its fate is unknown. Certain areas of ERF will require artificial drainage, but
natural conditions can be restored following treatment. Recommendations are made for the use of natural
attenuation and additional studies that are required to ensure the successful clean-up of ERF.
14. SUBJECT TERMS
15. NUMBER OF PAGES
77
Erosion
Pond drainage
Tidal flat processes
16. PRICE CODE
Natural attenuation
Sedimentation
White phosphorous
17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT
OF REPORT
OF THIS PAGE
OF ABSTRACT
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
UL
Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89)
NSN 7540-01-280-5500
Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39-18
298-102
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