Objectives
The objective of this portion of the study was to assess the potential for con-
tamination of groundwater with explosives-related contaminants on military
training ranges. Specific objectives include development of a protocol that can be
used to determine the nature and extent of surface soil contamination around
impact areas. This protocol will include the sampling strategy and analytical
methods best suited to this application. Data generated with this protocol can be
used to estimate a source term for post-blast residues based upon the extent of
surface soil contamination at a specific site. To address these objectives, the com-
position and extent of post-blast residue accumulation on two different types of
firing ranges, heavy artillery and hand grenade, were determined during the first
year of the project. Ranges were sampled at Fort Lewis, WA, and at Fort
Richardson, AK.
Fort Lewis, WA
Location
Fort Lewis is located approximately 16 km (10 miles) east of Olympia, WA,
and adjacent to McChord Air Force Base (Figure 1). Fort Lewis, part of Forces
Command, is the home of First Corps, one of 15 U.S. power projection plat-
forms. The Corps' primary focus is Pacific Rim. Fort Lewis includes 115 live fire
ranges and encompasses 34,803 ha (86,000 acres).
Approach
Surface soils were sampled at three functional areas: a hand grenade range
impact area, a firing point for heavy artillery, and an artillery impact area.
Groundwater was sampled from monitoring wells and seepage areas around the
periphery of the heavy artillery range. Historical firing records from an electronic
database were reviewed to determine the kinds of munitions that have been fired
on the heavy artillery range over time.
Hand grenade range
The hand grenade range is divided into four launching and impact areas
separated by concrete and wooden walls. The range has been actively used for at
M67 fragmentation grenades, which are widely used by the U.S. Army. The other
5 percent are manufactured in Canada and Britain, and are used by Canadian and
British troops who train regularly at Fort Lewis. The Canadian hand grenade is
1
Personal Communication, Mr. Del Larson, Range Operations Specialist, Fort Lewis,
WA, 2000.
8
Chapter 2 Characterization of Explosives Contamination at Military Firing Ranges
Previous Page
