United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region III
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

Work Mission Statement:

Safely and efficiently investigate and remove Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC); Materials Potentially Possessing an Explosive Hazard (MPPEH), Munitions Debris (MD) and explosively contaminated soil(TNT) from the Elkton Farms Firehole Site, as defined in EPA's geophysical study.

During this reporting period the intrusive activities continued within grids:C-5,H-5,K-5,B-2,D-2,D-5,C-2.    These activities included magging and flagging of all metal items and the hand shovelling of these flagged materials.

On March 27 an 81mm mortar was found in grid H-5, it was left for a bip on 3/29.  The exclusion radius was adjusted to 1395ft. pending the bip and evaluation for HE.

On March 28, START retrieved soil samples from the bip holes from the March 23 bip. they also retrieved a sample from the "rock" for field testing back at their office.

On March 29 a blow in place (bip) of the 81mm round was conducted successfully.  The round was determined to contain inert material.  This is the third 81mm found to contain inert (non HE) material.  The exclusion zone was readjusted back to 236ft.


MPPH RECOVERED DURING WEEK AND DISPOSITION: (SHA-Safe Holding Area)  
1-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid C-5b, SHA
1-ea 81mm mortar, unfuzed, grid H5b, SHA
47-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid H5b, SHA
2-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid K5a, SHA
5-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid D-2c, SHA
4-ea 40mm tracer element, grid D2d, SHA
8-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid D-2c, SHA
5-ea 40mm tracer element, grid D2d, SHA
21-ea 40mm tracer elements, grid H5b, SHA



Through Mar 23, 2006 the following stats apply:
Total grids - 66 (200x200)
Grids cleared - 14.5
Grids Government Qc'd - 14.5
Grids failed - 3
Total Number of digs - 11,342
Number of live MPPEH - 474
Pounds of MPPEH/MD found - 107
Pounds of non MEC scrap found - 1033

Refer to this web site for updated adobe map of site completion activities:
https://www.epaosc.net/sites/1299/files/grid%20data%20update%20map%20060331.pdf

To date, three (3) - 81mm mortars containing inert material have been found and bip.  It is likely that additional 81 mm mortars will be found both inside the 55 acre site and outside. Review of the site archives, for determination of whether R&D of these munitions was conducted  and whether the Site was an impact range needs to be performed.  It is possible that additional investigation of the off-site area for 81mm projectiles will need to be conducted.