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. The site was remobed on January 28, 2008. On May 2, 2008 a trommel mechanical sifter was mobilized to the site. The Trommel is being used to seperate MEC and MD from site soils. Pan scraping activities as outlined in Appendix K of the Work and excavation of the fireholes are now complete.
Contractors continued trommel sifting and QA/QC of grids per SOW.
The following materials have been processed/recovered to date:
1. Total Grids Cleared Gov't QA: 129
2. Total MEC found: 259,248 (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: 44,922 lbs
5. Scrap metal found: 19,989 lbs.
6. Total Phase II processed soils: 28,358 cy
Grid Scraping Activities:
QA/QC of scraped grids continued during this work period. 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. The property owner’s contractor began scraping grids on August 11, 2008 using a pan scraper. The OSC provided direction to the property owner on which grids were 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. A total of 46 grids have been scraped to date (11 were partial grids). Scraping of grids was completed during the previous work period. QA/QC of all scraped grids was completed during this work period. QA/QC will continue in a small number of grids where scraping with the pan scraper was not possible.
Trommel Sifting Activities:
Trommel sifting operations continued during this work period. Of the approximately 189,286 MEC items recovered off the trommel since it was mobilized, 188,725 are tracers. In addition 35 fused 40mm and 77 fused 20mm artillery items were found via this sifting operation and placed in the on site explosive magazines. Trommel sifting operations are expected to be completed by early December 2008.
Monitoring of airborne particulates continued on dry days. Since firehole excavation is complete, and based on previous air sampling data, sampling for airborne asbestos fibers has been terminated. Sampling for asbestos may be conducted in the future if suspect material is encountered. So far no site standards have been threatened for both asbestos and particulate.
- QA/QC of grids will continue.
- Sifting of grid soils will continue.
- Dispose of MEC, MD, and TNT contaminated soil. Items stored in magazines will be treated on site prior to shipment off site for disposal.
|
