Erin Healy, ICF International, 33 Hayden Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421, Tel: 781-676-4043, Fax: 781-676-4072
Sheila Holt, New England District - US Army Corps of Engineers, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742, Tel: 978-318-8174  
Victoria L. Rystrom, Risk Reduction Resources, Harpers Ferry , WV , Tel: 303-717-4390

This is a case study of a Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), 8-acre property that is currently within the boundaries of a Massachusetts State Park . As would be common to most FUDS Military Munitions Range Program (MMRP) investigations, site remediation is being conducted in accordance with the state regulations (Massachusetts Contingency Plan), FUDS Cleanup standards (based on CERCLA remedial investigation/risk assessment/feasibility studies), and the US Army Corps of Engineers MEC cleanup standards outlined in the Data Item Descriptions (DIDs).  The issues associated with this site are common to many of the FUDS that contain known munitions OB/OD areas or landfills at former facility/base sites where munitions were historically present.   

Given the past use of the site, the probability of MEC being present was considered very low. However, because it was an OB/OD area, the possibility of MEC needed to be further investigated and resolved at an acceptable risk level. The challenge is to accomplish this goal in a technically robust, cost-effective manner, hopefully without excavating the entire site. A multi-tiered site investigation approach was developed to focus the investigation, based on the assumptions that the actual disposal area was very small, and that there was likely no MEC outside the disposal pit. Several lines of evidence were used to identify the disposal area, including review and analysis of anecdotal history, aerial photographs, soil and ground water chemical data, contaminant fate and transport, magnetometer screening data, and subsurface boring records. Based on this analysis, the actual OB/OD area was estimated at 0.2 acre. Geophysics is the standard initial approach to investigating MEC sites and identifying potential MEC items. However, the OB/OD pit is problematic, since the amount of scrap shows a saturated geophysical response, and must be investigated through subsurface excavation.  The first phase of geophysics work was mag and flag, done with the objective of screening the entire site, and identifying some portion of the 8 acres for further investigation. However, the mag and flag resulted in over 1,400 points being flagged as potential MEC targets throughout the entire site, excluding the suspected disposal pit. The following phase involved an electromagnetic (EM) survey of the site, excluding the disposal pit, to provide improved geophysical data. Saturated geophysical results from the EM survey indicated that the disposal area may be more than 7 times larger than anticipated.  The final phase of the investigation included excavation to ground truth the geophysical data.  

Passive Reactive Berm (PRBerm) to Provide Low Maintenance Lead Containment at Active Small Arms Firing Ranges

Dr. Steven L. Larson, Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS  39180-6199, Tel: 601-634-3710, Fax: 601-634-3518
Dr. Charles Weiss, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 9180-6199, Tel: 601-634-3928
Dr. Philip Malone, Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS  39180-6199, Tel: 601-634-3960
W. Andy Martin, Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199, Tel: 601-634-3710
Gene Fabian, Aberdeen Test Center, 4264 Cowan Place, Aberdeen, MD 21017, Tel: 410-278-7421
Gregory O’Connor, US Army Armament, Research, Development and Engineering Command, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000, Tel: 973-724-5008
Micheal Warminsky, AMEC, 285 Davidson Ave, Suite 100 , Somerset, NJ 08873, Tel: 732-302-9500
David Mackie, AMEC, 285 Davidson Ave, Suite 100, Somerset, NJ 08873, Tel: 732-302-9500

Live fire training results in the deposition of metals, such as lead and copper, into berm soils ranging in size from whole projectiles to microscopic dust. Surface water runoff and leachate water are two mechanisms with the potential to transport metals off-site. The Passive Reactive Berm (PRBerm) technology incorporates berm amendments that provide the capability to buffer a sand berm and react with metals (i.e. lead) as they are produced during the inevitable metals corrosion. Amendments will allow the pH in the berm to be adjusted near neutral conditions, promoting chemical immobilization of the lead.  Treatability studies were conducted using meso-scale lysimeter cells where the runoff and leachate water were evaluated for their metals concentrations (Pb, Cu), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), pH, and Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) using 5,000 ppm lead SAFR berm sand.  During lysimeter studies, soluble Pb and Cu concentrations were observed at significantly less than the demonstration sites permit discharge limit of 150 and 500 ppb (µg/L) for Pb and Cu respectively.  A neutral pH range between 6.5 and 8.5 was maintained, minimal TSS and DOC concentrations were also observed in the lysimeter study leachate waters.  The information gathered from the treatability study was used in the design and construction specifications of the PRBerms located at the demonstration site.  Small scale Live Fire Lysimeters were built and used to test various amendments prior to application in a field demonstration.  The benefits of the PRBerm when compared to traditional earthen berms include a reduction in migration of lead either as dissolved lead, colloidal lead, or lead sorbed to soil material suspended in the surface water. In addition, recycling the lead from the PRBerm can be accomplished with a commercially available rotary screen bucket mounted on a loader.  

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