World War I-era weapons buried on university property and in the surrounding neighborhood is scheduled to begin Oct. 29, Army Corps of Engineers officials said at a public meeting at Sibley Hospital Auditorium Tuesday night.
The area, known as "Pit 3," is located at 4825 Glenbrook Road, a university-owned property. Additionally, "test-pitting," or digging small holes to search for additional buried weapons, will begin soon at 4835 Glenbrook Road, the official university president's house.
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PIT 3 PROJECT SCHEDULE
Before the Army Corps of Engineers can begin excavating the World War I-era weapons buried on university-owned residential property at 4825 Glenbrook Road, several safety and training steps must occur. The project schedule is as follows: * Aug. 6 - Sept. 21: Construction of Engineered Control Structure * Sept. 21 - Oct. 5: Safety and other training for workers on the site * Oct. 8 - Oct. 19: Two independent evaluations of the project's safety will take place; the project must pass both inspections before any work begins * Oct. 20: Site tour for affected residents * Oct. 24: Siren/ring-down alert system test * Oct. 25: Media day * Oct. 29: Outreach teams will talk to those in the neighborhood, including joggers, workers and others who do not live in the area, about the project and necessary safety precautions. SOURCE: Army Corps of Engineers PowerPoint presentation at Oct. 2 community meeting |
The Army Corps of Engineers knew of four pits where buried chemical weapons were left behind when the Army Corps used AU and the surrounding neighborhood to test chemical weapons during World War I.
Two pits were located at 4801 Glenbrook Road, which is next door to the university president's house and is currently the residence of the South Korean ambassador. A third is at the "52nd Court" site, according to Daniel Noble, military munitions removal project manager.
"This [the excavation of Pit 3] will essentially be it, unless we find another pit," Noble said.
The Army Corps officials also described the safety measures in place to prevent the release of arsine or other harmful chemicals contained in the weapons in the pit.
The Engineered Control Structure, which will sit over the area being excavated, is a metal, aluminum-plated building designed to absorb the blast of any weapons that explode while they are being removed, Noble said.
Additionally, the metal structure will be covered by a large piece of fabric that will maintain negative pressure within the Engineered Control Structure. This means that all air that goes in or out of the Engineered Control Structure will be run through a filter, which will run on power from AU as well as a backup generator. If any harmful substances should be released into the air within the ECS, they will be sucked into the filter and cleaned, Noble said.
Noble also discussed the "maximum credible event," or worst-case scenario, of a safety incident at the site. For this dig, the MCE is the nonexplosive release of arsine from a 75-millimeter chemical mortar round, he said. If such an event were to occur and the Engineered Control Structure were to fail, allowing the arsine into the open air, an alarm would sound and anyone within a 742-foot radius of the dig site should take safety precautions, he said.
The Army Corps recommends a "shelter-in-place" safety system. Anyone in the 742-foot "shelter-in-place" radius should immediately go inside, shut all windows and doors, turn off heating and air conditioning units and wait for an "all clear" siren or further instruction, which will be broadcast on local radio stations WJLA Channel 7 and News 8, according to printed materials available at the meeting.
Places on campus within the "shelter-in-place" distance include the Watkins, Kreeger, Hamilton and Financial Aid buildings, Jacobs Field and the Child Development Center, according to materials available at the Oct. 2 meeting and an e-mail from President Neil Kerwin to the campus community Sept. 27.
The university will hold training sessions this month to explain safety procedures, according to the e-mail.
"Faculty who will be teaching in the newly renovated Watkins building will soon receive a special set of communications to ensure they and their enrolled students are aware of the work on the Glenbrook properties," Kerwin said in the e-mail.
The Army Corps wants to finish the Pit 3 project by the end of fiscal year 2008, which ends in September, Noble said.
"The department of the Army is serious about tackling the issues and wrapping up on Glenbrook Road," he said.
Noble noted that the project's normal yearly funding is $11 million. The project received $14 million last year and $17 million this year, he said.
| 1. 4835 GLENBROOK ROAD - Test-pitting, or the search for additional buried weapons, will begin at this house, the official university president's house. President Neil Kerwin will not live there, as agreed upon in his contract.
2. 4825 GLENBROOK ROAD - Excavation of World War I-era weapons in "Pit 3," located on this property, will begin Oct. 29. 3. 4801 GLENBROOK ROAD - Two pits of weapons have been excavated from this property, the residence of the South Korean ambassador. 4. "SHELTER-IN-PLACE" ZONE - Anyone within this zone should go take safety precautions in the event of a "maximum credible event" safety breach. AU buildings and fields within this zone include the Watkins, Kreeger, Hamilton and Financial Aid buildings, the Child Development Center and Jacobs Field. |
