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News
Plum Tree Island
Munitions detonations cap USACE Phase 1 Remedial Investigation
April 7 , 2009
by Jerry Rogers
Norfolk District Public Affairs
POQUOSON, Va.—Two munitions detonations March 25, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed the Phase 1 Remedial Investigation here at Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge, a formerly used defense site.
From January through March, USACE and its contractor, Shaw Environmental, Inc., completed a 123-acre shoreline surface sweep from the top of the sand dune to the low tide line, to identify and remove surficial material potentially posing an explosive hazard. Some 263 Jet-Assisted Takeoff (JATO) rockets were recovered along with occasional bomb and rocket parts. The only items found during the surface sweep, containing energetic material, were six JATO rockets. These were disposed of by detonation.
Additionally, eight tons of munitions debris, primarily consisting of empty JATO rocket bodies, was demilitarized on site, certified as hazard-free and transported to nearby Messick Point for temporary storage pending disposal.
Phase 1 work included geophysical investigation of a pre-planned percentage of 2,000 acres of the northern interior of Plum Tree Island, using sub-surface metal detecting. All subsurface anomalies potentially representing munitions were excavated as part of the investigation. Munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) located in the sample areas included 13 World War I-era MK 1, 50-pound demolition bombs/fuses. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment, Langley A.F.B., Va., worked with Shaw Environmental during munitions detonations.
"Our Phase 1 work went extremely well in large part to the outstanding support received from our key partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the city of Poquoson and the U.S. Coast Guard," said George Follett, project manager.
Plum Tree Island National Wildlife Refuge was formerly known as the Plum Tree Island Range and was used for aerial bombing and gunnery practice from 1917 through the late 1950s. The former bombing range, which consisted of approximately 3,200 acres, was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1972. With the exception of waterfowl hunting on Cow Island, which was not part of the bombing range, the refuge is closed to all public use due to the potential for encountering unexploded ordnance.
The Phase 2 investigation, which could begin as early as this fall, will focus on MEC on the southern portion of the island, as well as testing the soil, sediment and water for munitions constituents.
For more information on future fieldwork at Plum Tree Island, visit the Norfolk District Plum Tree Island web site.