[CPEO-MEF] Camp Bonneville (WA) chemical contamination

["lsiegel@cpeo.org" <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Submitted by Karen Kingston
Karen4theCamp@cs.com


BRAC Camp Bonneville Military Reservation update:

At the June'06 Camp Bonneville RAB  meeting the Clark County officials and
community is expecting to hear a specialized report from the WA Department
of Ecology explaining chemical contamination trends and constituents in
Ground Water known to be present at Camp Bonneville, Vancouver, WA.

A $5.3 million dollar federal remediation of a munitions landfill (aka,
LF4/DS1) failed to control or remove the source of a Perchlorate Plume at
Camp Bonneville.  Due to flushing in the open one and a half acre dig (to a
14 foot depth) we did see a drop in the Perchlorate readings initially.
However, Perchlorate is again on the rise, noting above 200 ppb and moving.
 
Other contaminants of concern during the reporting period are:
Nitroglycerin @ 200 ppb,
4-methyl-2-pentanone (mlbk) 30 ppb,
RDX 120 ppb,
Chromium (total) 171 ppb,
Lead 22.6 ppb,
Mercury 5.6 ppb   (Up from a non-detect)
1,1-Dichloroethene 23 ppb
Arsenic 20.3 ppb


Army information sharing is vital and the recent reports regarding Mercury
found in soil and water at military sites denote its importance:
"Gary Mahall, spokesman for the U.S. Army Materials Agency, said the
mercury is not an element in mustard agent, but was discovered in metal
containers containing mustard. "We're concerned because mercury is a heavy
metal and when it settles out of the air it finds its way into the food
chain. It can seep down into the water system," Mahall said."
(www.cma.army.mil.)
(http://www.tooeletranscript.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=12979
&Itemid=54) (CPEO.org)

Particular to Camp Bonneville, Archive Search Reports define Mustard
(mustard blistering agent) during the years 1929 to 1945 as included in
chemical training at the Camp.  Mr. Mahall's disclosure of Mercury
discovered in the metal containers certainly defines a cleanup item
inclusion for investigation at Camp Bonneville.

The sure rise in total Chromium also brings the RAB back to earlier
recorded Army promises.  The Army explained "if" the Chromium numbers rose
above MTCA standards they would publish a breakdown for Hexavalent versus
the other Chromium compounds included as Total.  (MTCA Level A allows 50
ppb total Chrom.)

Camp Bonneville was a military weapons training base from 1910 to 1995. 
The site totals over 3800 acres and is identified as 90% contaminated with
UXO.  Army maps show Artillery Impact Fans extending over the base's
property lines. Known ground water plumes are Perchlorate and RDX. Reuse
under BRAC is slated for a free-range public camping regional park.

Army partnership to create a sustainable future for groundwater in and
around the greater Vancouver metro and compliance to protect the Troutdale
Aquifer examples our nation globally.

Karen Kingston
Camp Bonneville Restoration Advisory Board co-chair
Vancouver, WA
-- 
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org


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