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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/4828| Title: | Vertical migration potential of metal contaminants at small arms firing ranges, Camp Edwards Military Reservation, Massachusetts |
| Authors: | Massachusetts Military Reservation (Mass.) Installation Restoration Research Program (U.S.) Bricka, R. Mark. Rivera, Yilda B. Deliman, Patrick N. |
| Keywords: | Bullets Camp Edwards (Mass.) Firing ranges Groundwater Groundwater contamination Heavy metals Impact areas Lead Massachusetts Military Reservation Metal contamination Modeling Projectiles Small arms training Soil contamination Soil sampling |
| Publisher: | Environmental Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Description: | Technical Report Abstract: The primary goal of the United States Military is to train and equip troops to maintain military readiness. Training range areas represent a major element in keeping the Army ready to accomplish this mission. Training ranges represent considerable investments in time, money, and other resources. Small arms training ranges (SARs) represent a large portion of this investment. Projectiles utilized as part of small arms training range activities have accumulated at many SARs for a number of years. These projectiles are composed of toxic metals such as lead, copper, and antimony. Such metals may pose a threat to the environment through contaminant migration. Environmental personnel at Camp Edwards, an Army National Guard training area located at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (CEMR), recognized the potential for small arms activities to adversely affect the environment. To better understand the migration of the metals and the potential threat of the metals to groundwater, CEMR initiated investigations to study such metal migration. This report presents the results of this investigation. This report presents the results of the following: an overview of factors which affect metal migration from small arms training areas, soil sampling conducted at the CEMR small arms ranges, and modeling efforts to predict the time of impact of the metal migration on groundwater. As part of this study, soil borings were collected to a depth of 27.4 m (90 ft), and borings were analyzed for five metals in 15.2-cm (6-in.) sections. In addition, limited soil properties were also analyzed in the laboratory. These results indicate that the metal contaminants are migrating vertically but have not been transported to a depth greater than 1.8 m (6 ft) at any of the ranges. Modeling efforts predict that measurable concentrations of lead are not expected until after 350 years. |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/4828 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
