Sampling for Explosives Residues at Fort Greely, Alaska
Reconnaissance Visit July 2000
MARIANNE E. WALSH, CHARLES M. COLLINS, CHARLES H. RACINE, THOMAS F. JENKINS,
ARTHUR B. GELVIN, AND THOMAS A. RANNEY
INTRODUCTION
sampling program we would then develop com-
Background
prehensive sampling and analysis protocols that can be
Fort Greely, Alaska, has an extensive complex of
applied to the additional impact areas of Fort Greely as
weapon training and testing impact areas located in the
part of a comprehensive explosive contaminant
West Training Area, west of the main cantonment of
sampling and monitoring program.
Fort Greely. Of special interest are the 34,415 ha (85,042
During the summer of 2000, we began this process
acres) of high-hazard impact areas. These include the
of developing a sampling program for the impact areas
Washington and Mississippi Impact Areas located
at Fort Greely. We started with an initial visit to review
within the floodplain of the Delta River, the Delta Creek
records at Fort Greely Range Control and at the Cold
Impact Area located within the floodplain of Delta
Regions Test Center (CRTC) to determine potential
Creek, 20 km to west, and the Oklahoma Impact Area
contaminants based on weapons fired and likely
located just to the east of Delta Creek. The Mississippi
locations for an initial sampling program. Based on the
and Washington Impact Areas are mainly used by the
records and recommendations by CRTC and Range
Army for mortar, artillery, and other similar indirect
Control, we decided to undertake the preliminary
fire weapons systems. Washington Impact Area also is
sampling program at Washington Impact Area. The use
used by the Cold Regions Test Center for the test firing
of this range by CRTC as a testing range has resulted in
of a number of developmental weapons systems. Delta
more precise records of what has been fired and more
Creek Impact Area is used by the Army as an indirect
exact data on impact locations than is typically known
fire impact area and by the Air Force as an aerial
on a training range. Because identification of non-
bombing range. The Oklahoma Impact Area is mainly
functioning munitions was part of the test procedures,
used by the Air Force as an aerial bombing range. These
UXOs were carefully located, identified, and disposed
impact areas are located on lands withdrawn from the
of after each test, thus providing a safer environment
public domain under the Military Lands Withdrawal
for the sampling team as we developed sampling
Act (Public Law 106-65); the withdrawal of land was
protocols. Also, Washington Impact Area offered the
recently renewed. As part of the Environmental Impact
easiest access of any of the major impact ranges of Fort
Statement (U.S. Army 1999) prepared for the renewal,
Greely, as it is accessible by vehicle from the main Fort
the Army has pledged to implement a program to
Greely Cantonment area via gravel road. The
identify possible munitions contamination and evaluate
environmental setting of Washington Impact Area,
the potential for surface water and groundwater
within the floodplain of a glacially fed, gravel-braided
river, is similar to a number of other impact areas on
Because of the large size (34,415 ha [85,042 acres])
Fort Greely. Therefore, environmental factors affecting
of the impact areas, characterization of the contam-
the fate and transport of explosive contaminants on
ination levels will be difficult. We proposed a
Washington Impact Area should also be applicable to
multiphase sampling program in which we would first
most of the other impact areas on Fort Greely. Certain
sample locations most likely to be contaminated at one
areas with similar environmental settings, such as
impact area and identify locations that have the greatest
Mississippi Impact Area, are not accessible to ground
potential to contaminate adjacent surface and
sampling because of the danger from numerous UXO.
groundwater. Based on this initial reconnaissance
In those cases, we will have to make assumptions about
1
Previous Page
