Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and

Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Approaches for Addressing
Underwater Military Munitions
Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste
Management Officials
March 2009
J. C. King
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army
Environment Safety and Occupational Health
Environment,
1
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Objective
Understand
U
d t d and
d th
then manage th
the risks
ik
associated with ocean disposed military
munitions
iti
• Scientific data necessary to understand risk
• Policy developed based on science to manage risk
• Scientific basis for making sound risk management decisions
that fully consider the operational, safety and environmental
factors of the alternatives
2
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
History of DoD Sea Disposals
• Disposal
p
options,
p
,p
particularly
y for chemical warfare materials
(CWM), were limited
− Large quantities of munitions became excess
− Deteriorating condition presented hazards
− Disposal at depths, beyond human reach, considered safe
• Disposals
Di
l included:
i l d d
− Munitions,
− Bulk materials – chemical agents, explosives
− Components
p
enemyy CWM ((WWII))
− Captured
• Disposals operations often involved CWM and conventional
3
munitions
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Public Law 109-364, Section 314 (NDAA)
R
Research
h on Eff
Effects
t off O
Ocean Di
Disposall off Munitions
M iti
• Identification
Id tifi ti off di
disposall sites
it in
i US coastal
t l waters
t
• Identification
ifi i off navigational
i i
and safety
f
hazards
• Research
4
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Sea Disposal Sites
• Locations:
− Ranged from 5 to over 250 miles (10 to over 400 km)
from shore
− Depths ranged from 50 to 16,000 feet (15 to 4,900 m)
• DoD disposal methods
− Loose or “over the side”
− Consolidated in ship
p hulks,, with scuttling
g
• DoD used for:
− CWM
− Conventional munitions
• Designated sites
− Were generally 100 square miles (260 sq km)
− May also have been used by others for disposal of
industrial and municipal wastes
5
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Risk-Management Considerations
• Differing issues presented by munitions type
• Location of site:
– Near shore
– Shallow
Sh ll water
t (120 ffeett and
d shallower)
h ll
)
– Deep water
• Category of munitions
– Sea disposal operations
– Use of area as ranges (former and current)
• Response alternatives
• Material ocean disposed – not just munitions
• Hazards
H
d presented
t d
• Funding
6
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Issues Related to Munitions Recovery
• Must demonstrate significant risk to human
health and the environment
• Risk must be greater than that of recovery
– Hazard
H
d to
t workers
k
may b
be significant
i ifi
t
– Potential for disturbance and release of
constituents to sediment surface and water
column
• Locatingg munitions on or beneath seafloor
• Positively identifying munitions and fuze status
prior to disturbing
• Identifying
Id if i site
i for
f destruction
d
i off recovered
d iitems
• Locating and recovering munitions in surf zone 7
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Ordnance Reef Projects
• Army Environmental Quality Technology
Program funding assessment of commercial
technology adapted for remote recovery of sea
disposed munitions
• Army funding Native Hawaiian Company to
y
determine best method for destruction of any
recovered munitions
8
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Ordnance Reef Projects
• Army/Navy funded NOAA survey (screening)
• Local community expressed concerns with data
• DoD,
D D state,
t t and
d CDC (ATSDR) review
i off h
healthlth
related data identified gaps
• DASA(ESOH) established Coordinating Council
• UH under contract to conduct remedial investigation
to address data gaps
g p
– Focus on human health
– Screening level of ecological risks
9
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Hawaii
H
ii Undersea
U d
Military
Mili
Munitions
M ii
Assessment Program (HUMMA)
• Site 5 miles (+/-) south of Pearl Harbor
– 16,000 M47 100 lb mustard bombs disposed
p
in
1944
– 1,000 (+) feet deep
• Initial
i i SONAR
SO A survey off 60 sq km identified
i
ifi
numerous returns of interest
• Video tows (Nov – Dec) will determine
munitions presence
• Sea water,, sediment and biota sampling
p gp
planned
for early 2009 with report due late in year
10
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Related Topics
i
• Symptoms
– Buckroe Beach,
Beach Virginia
– Mid-Atlantic States (Claming Operations)
– Edgewood, Maryland
– Long Beach Island, New Jersey
• Fixes
– DoD 6055.9-STD,, DoD Ammunition and Explosives
p
Safety Standards
• Chapter 15 requirements for munitions with
unkown liquid fills
• Data base Requirements
• Dredging Requirements
– Underwater Military Munitions Data Base
11
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
12
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Enduring Challenges
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Policy development
Need for a long-term strategy
Application of scientific method
Site characterization
Risk-based response
Community engagement
Resource considerations
13
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Contact
J. C. King
Assistant for Munitions and Chemical Matters
Offi off the
Office
th Deputy
D
t Assistant
A i t t Secretary
S
t
off the
th Army
A
Environment, Safety and Occupational Health
Office: 703.697.5564
BB: 571.274.5054
jc.king@us.army.mil
14
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
BACKUP
15
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Points for Discussion
Developing approaches for:
• Archival research
• Site survey (bounding the site)
• Site characterization
• Sampling and analysis
g risk
• Assessing
• Risk management and communication
16
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Public Law 109-364, Section 314 (NDAA)
• Identification of disposal
p
sites in US coastal waters Historical review
– Number, size and probable locations of sites in US waters
– Identify types of munitions at individual sites to extent possible
– Report findings in FY09 Defense Environmental Programs Annual
Report to Congress
• Identification
Id ifi i off navigational
i i
l and
d safety
f
hazards
h
d
– Provide information to allow National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) to update nautical charts
– Continue Public education efforts
17
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations and Environment)
Public Law 109-364, Section 314 (NDAA)
Research effects of sea disposed munitions on oceans and
those
h
that
h use them
h
− Sampling and analysis of ocean water and seabed at or
adjacent
j
to militaryy munitions to determine if caused or
causing
− Investigate long-term effects of sea water on munitions,
particularly CWM
− Investigate impacts of contamination on the ocean
environment and those that use it
− Investigate
I
ti t ffeasibility
ibilit off removing
i or otherwise
th
i
remediating munitions
p safety
y measures for dealing
g with these munitions
− Develop
− Conduct research at representative sites
18
− Conduct monitoring as necessary