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.
Background:
The Elkton Farm Firehole site is located two miles northwest of Elkton, Maryland near the intersection of Routes 40 and 279. The Firehole Site occupies approximately 55-acres of the 400-acre Elkton Farm and is located just south of Zeitler Road between Little Elk Creek and Laurel Run. The most recent use of the Site has been as a working farm. During the decade before and during World War II, the parcel had been the site of activity related to the manufacture of fireworks and munitions. Investigations performed in 2006 by the Army Corps of Engineers identified an area on the current Elkton Farm as the Firehole. The Firehole was documented as an area for the disposal of waste explosives material during and just after WWII. Ordinance related material was observed scattered on the ground throughout the site.
On April 24, 2007 EPA mobed to the site with its regional ERRS cleanup contractor, Guardian Environmental and its UXO subcontractor, USA Environmental to complete munitions of explosive concern identification, avoidance and disposal activities. On December 21, 2007 the site was demobed for the Christmas holiday and The site was remobed on January 28, 2008 with a limited crew. One UXO team from USA Environmental was mobilized. The UXO team supports both the trommel sifting activity and the firehole excavation as per SOW and AHA. On May 2, 2008 a trommel mechanical sifter was mobilized to the site. The Trommel will be used to seperate MEC and MD from site soils. On July 7, 2008 additional UXO technicians were mobed to the site in anticipation of implementation of Appendix K of the Work Plan. Appendix K outlines the implementation of a pan scraping approach to the remaining 30 grids and is to be implemented by the property owner's operator and his equipment under an AOC. On April 28, 2008 the ERRS contractor initiated the excavation of the fireholes.
EPA entered into an AOC with the property owner on August 8, 2008 in which the property owner agreed to complete work as described in Appendix K of the Site Work Plan. Appendix K outlines the implementation of a pan scraping approach to the remaining 30 grids. Pan Scraping activities as described in Appendix K began on August 11, 2008.
Contractors continued trommel sifting activities and excavation of the firehole as per SOW and AHA.
The following materials have been processed/recovered to date:
1. Total Grids Cleared Gov't QA: 91
2. Total MEC/MD found: 62,678 (MEC items include detonators, grenade fuse, blasting caps, tracer elements, incendiary bomblets, flares etc. etc.)
3. Firehole MEC found: 14,322 (incl. 13,974 tracers)
4. Total MD found: 33,176 lbs.
5. Scrap metal found: 15,842 lbs.
6. Total Phase II processed soils: 14,980 cy
Grid Scraping Activities:
The property owner’s contractor began scraping grids on August 11, 2008 using a pan scraper. The OSC is providing direction to the property owner on which grids are to be scraped and to which depth. The depth of scraping has ranged from 8” – 16” based on magnetometer surveys and depending on how deep MEC and MD are found in each area. Scraped soils are staged on a predetermined area of the site pending trommel sifting. During this reporting period 23 grids were scraped with the pan scraper, of which 7 have passed final QA/QC.
Trommel Sifting Activities:
Trommel sifting operations continued during this work period. Of the approximately 22,785 MEC items recovered off the trommel since it was mobilized, 22,387 are tracers. In addition 21 fused 40mm and 51 fused 20mm artillery items were found via this sifting operation and placed in the on site explosive magazines. Trommel sifting of firehole soils was completed during this work period. Sifting of grid soils will begin during the next work period. GES began making preparations to move the trommel to an area of the site closer to the soil staged from pan scraping. Moving the trommel will allow faster processing of soil generated from pan scraping and allow scraping of grids in the area of site where the trommel was previously located.
Firehole Excavation Activities:
Excavation and coarsing of the firehole soils was completed pending final check by QA. The fireholes were excavated to a depth of 5-6 feet. Approximately 9,315 cu yds of soils have been excavated, coarsed and moved to the trommel pad area. A total of 14,322 MEC items have been found. A total of 6,657 lbs. of scrap have been removed and staged on site from the fireholes thus far. Suspected friable ACM was double bagged as per the SOW and placed in drums (12). These drums will not be disposed of by EPA as per Action Memorandum.
Sampling and monitoring for airborne asbestos fibers and particulate continued on dry days as per AMSAP. So far no site standards have been threatened for both asbestos and particulate.
- Grid scraping as per Appendix K of the Work Plan will continue.
- Trommel sifter will be moved closer to staged grid soils and sifting of grid soils will continue.
- Excavation if Fisher Lane will begin.
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