Coverage of Public Safety Plan Hearing

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36101882/ns/local_news-washington_dc/

No Public Safety Plan for Spring Valley Munitions Disposal

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By Mark Stephens

NBCWashington.com

updated 33 minutes ago

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't have an emergency public safety plan for a northwest Washington neighborhood where it plans to destroy World War I chemical munitions.

The weapons were found in the Spring Valley neighborhood, which was once a testing and disposal site for the U.S. Army.

Weapons buried 90 years ago are still being discovered today, and some of them are scheduled to be destroyed next month.

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At a City Council roundtable Monday, Spring Valley residents said the chemicals in the weapons are potentially hazardous, and they want to hear how the Army plans to act if something goes wrong.

"We have grave concerns," said Ward 3 councilmember Mary Cheh. "If something should go wrong, how will the community be notified? What is the worst case scenario we will face? What contingency plans are in place to safeguard public health in case of an accident?"

The disposal process will take place on federal property near the Dalecarlia Reservoir.

The old ordnance will be placed in a stainless steel containment vessel with another small explosive. The explosive will be detonated via remote, causing the old munitions to crack open. The potentially dangerous arsine gas would be trapped in the containment vessel, and neutralizing agents inside would react to form a less toxicsubstance.

The Army Corps said the process is common, but admitted there is no emergency plan should something go wrong.

"We were not planning on taking additional protection actions beyond the federal property," said Todd Beckwith, a project manager with the Army Corps.

Residents said that's not good enough.

"The longest running play in America is here in Washington and it is named Shear Madness, which in my view is exactly what this decision is," said Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Stu Ross. "Just pause and think for a moment about what would happen if someone got it wrong."

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Thomas Smith added, "As history has shown us, accidents happen. It would be nice to know there is a plan in place that is more detailed than somebody saying, 'Whoops.'"

Hearing on the Public Safety Plan for Destruction of Spring Valley Munitions

All,

Listen to the hearing below:

http://www.octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel13/March2010/03_29_10_JUDICI_GOVOPS.asx

Please find below and in this link my testimony from the hearing:

Testimony for Joint Public Oversight Roundtable on Public Safety Plan for the Destruction of Spring Valley Munitions

Good morning Council members. My name is Michael Ginsberg, and while I am not an expert on munitions disposal safety procedures, I have been engaged in research on the history of the American University Experiment Station and the remediation process. In effect, I have come to represent an important and repeatedly neglected party affected by the Spring Valley remediation, students at American University.

The current safety protocols being discussed must be implemented with proper vigilance, and viewed in the context of a history of negligent decision-making. In my research I have come across misjudgments in the history of the Spring Valley cleanup made by the Army Corp of Engineers. For instance, after conducting historical research in 1986 the Army determined that there was no official evidence of chemical weapons burial. Again in 1994, after conducting soil sampling at American University, Lieutenant Colonel Crotteau declared that “there were no chemical warfare agents, explosives or their breakdown products…present in the soil samples collected. Therefore no further action is necessary.” Even this year in February, the Army concluded to the Restoration Advisory Board that perchlorate in the groundwater was decreasing in concentration despite testing inconsistencies and limited data.

Just as has happened in the past and still happens today, the Army neglects to mention critical information when presenting its conclusions not only to the general public but also to its oversight board. My point is that while the stakes were not high enough to necessitate the transport of the munitions to a military base, the stakes are still high enough, the risk to human health in the area still prevalent, to require a clear and well-communicated safety plan.

This brings me to my second point. The level of awareness amongst the AU student body on these issues is astoundingly low. In my opinion the cause can be attributed both to a lack of interest and a lack of accessibility to the information. Regardless, a clear and direct channel of information must be established between the D.C. Council and the AU community on the issue of the public safety plan for the destruction of munitions and any upcoming topics, or ignorance will prevail. An open forum should be held on AU’s campus once a public safety plan has been developed to allow the community to be informed and ask questions. Such an open forum on remediation related issues should be held, at minimum, annually to facilitate transparency and community awareness and involvement.

Any sensible individual who learns of the remediation and potential health risks will be concerned and seek out ways to learn more. As an AU student I did not know that AU was the site of the first chemical testing center in the U.S. until well into my second year, and was not informed of the full extent of the issues until my senior year.

To sum up my points, if information is not regularly and clearly communicated, the AU community, which comprises a significant percentage of Spring Valley’s population, will remain ignorant. Furthermore, it is time for the AU administration to cease to be the middleman in the AU community’s relations with the D.C. Council and USACE. We are effected parties and deserve to be properly informed and updated. We live in Spring Valley just as much as anyone else and the potential health consequences from these munitions will impact us just as much as anyone else. Thank you for your time and consideration.

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https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_eFN_tpckNUZTBhMDRkMjEtOGU4Yy00YTc1LWExNmYtZWIzMGU0YWJkNzlj&hl=en

What Chemicals Could Be Affecting Me?

Here is a list of chemicals that have been found at elevated levels in and around AU's campus and potential health effects due to interaction with such chemicals (residents are susceptible to chemicals through the skin, ingestion and inhalation):

Arsenic - Skin Disease, Vascular Disease, Diabetes, Cancer

Sulfur Mustard - Cancer, Skin Disease, Eye Illnesses, Neurological Disease, Respiratory Issues, Possible Leukemia

Mercury - Neurological Issues

Lewisite - Skin, Eye and Respiratory Illnesses

Perchlorate - Thyroid Illnesses

Important Documents Related to the Cleanup

AU Turns Over University to Army, 1918:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AS2CCdGjYFTRZGc0d3ZkNW5fNTFmYnhiZjNkcA&hl=en


AU Releases Army of Liability, 1920:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRN2M2YzEzMDgtY2VhNy00ZjljLTg0MDktYjk3YzRlZDhlZDc2&hl=en


"$800k Worth of Munitions," AU Courier Article, 1921:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRYmMyYjAyN2ItMjE4NS00ZGI1LTllZTYtYjQ3YTkxZTE3MzU2&hl=en


AU Board of Trustees, Dumping of Munitions Authorization, 1920:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRNmZjMTMyOGUtYzU3Yy00MDNkLWJkM2UtMjIzNTRiNTQwYWFl&hl=en


AU Talks with EPA and DOD about Potential for Munitions Underground, 1986:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRZDZmMzY1NmItYzRhNi00NDU3LTljYjAtYmU5MTc2M2I0MmQ0&hl=en


Army Corps Says No Weapons at AU, 1986

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRODBmMDRlMTktNmQyMy00MGRjLWE0ZjYtNGIzNWVhMTIwNzNl&hl=en


Army Says No Need For Further Action, 1994:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRZTliYjIyYmYtNjUxOS00NWI2LTk2ZjUtODI1OTVlMzcxZjlk&hl=en


AU Files Claim Against the Army, 1999:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRZmVkNDJkY2YtNmZhZS00MzlmLThiOWUtYWZmYmU2MTI0Mzkw&hl=en


Former AU President Ben Ladner Answers City Council Questions, 2001:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRYjcyODdhM2EtNmVkZi00MjY3LTgxZmQtZGNhNjFiMzlkMGJk&hl=en


Lawsuit Against AU and Army by Loughlin Residents, 2002:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0By2CCdGjYFTRYzU0MmNiMzAtMGQ5Ni00MTkzLWE4OWMtZWYyMzU1MDdlNTQ3&hl=en

Little Known Facts About the History of the Cleanup

Timeline

1985-86: While designing the Bender Arena, AU commissions the EPA to analyze several aerial photos of the campus. The analysis reveals possible burial sites throughout the campus and surrounding areas in Spring Valley. The information is not released to the public.

1993-95: A contractor unearths buried munitions while digging a utility trench in Spring Valley. The Army Corps of Engineers beings a two-year remedial investigation.

1994: The Army says there is "No Need for Further Action" and closes the Spring Valley case.

Here is text from that document:

"The results from the soil sampling at 4400 Massachusetts
Avenue, Washington, D.C., have been analyzed by the Corps and
reviewed by the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency and the
Environmental Protection Agency, Region III. This analysis
indicates that there were no chemical warfare agents, explosives
or their breakdown products, or measurable. levels of these
compounds present in the soil samplescoilected.Therefore, no
further action is necessary with regard to soil sampling on your
property."

1998-Present: A review of the 1995 closing report reveals potentially overlooked burial sites, which reopens the investigation.

2001-09: Elevated arsenic levels are found at the Child Development Center's playground. The building closes and the soil around the building is remediated.

2009-2010: The investigation continues at the AU Soccer Fields, the AU President's house, the Public Safety Building, Kreeger Building, Groundwater Monitoring Wells at AU and residential properties. In 2010, munitions are found below Public Safety and an AU property on Glenbrook Road.

Did you Know AU is on a Formerly Used Defense Site?

American University is located on a Formerly Used Defense Site, equivalent in severity to an EPA Superfund Site, and is one of the most contaminated in the country. Spring Valley is also the only FUD Site that encompasses a residential neighborhood and university campus. The Army Corps of Engineers, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, is tasked with the remediation of Spring Valley.

A health study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in 2006-07 found slightly elevated rates of arsenic-related cancers, and recommended further investigation. The study also recommended investigation of blood, kidney and neurological conditions, which appear in community reports. Despite that D.C. Council Member Mary Cheh requested funding for a follow-up study one has yet to be conducted.

American University was known as the American University Experimental Station during WWI. It was America's first facility for testing chemical weapons.

According to former Spring Valley environmental consultant and expert in weapons of mass destruction Richard Albright, writing in 2007, more than 800 chemical and explosive shells and 1,000 bottles of chemicals and chemical warfare materials have been found on the site. There are more than 53 locations where chemical anomalies have been noticed.