Prioritizing Environmental Risks for the United States Army

Prior to the allocation of remediation funding, the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) management guidance requires the scoring and ranking of all sites eligible for cleanup to determine the degree of potential environmental risk in relation to other eligible cleanup sites. To qualitatively address the potential risk posed by each site, a process combining the evaluation of relative contamination level, contaminant migration potential, and possible contamination receptors is implemented. In this manner, all U.S. Army sites may be compared on a uniform scale to facilitate “worst-first” allocation of funds for remedial or corrective actions. This process is known as a Relative Risk Site Evaluation (RRSE).

Battelle was tasked to perform an RRSE for sites located at Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant (SFAAP) in DeSoto, Kansas. SFAAP is currently in layaway status but manufactured nitroguanidine, nitrocellulose, and nitroglycerin for decades. The purpose of this study was to provide sufficient data to rank 20 ‘not evaluated’ sites at SFAAP in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Office of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security) in the 1997 Revised Draft Relative Risk Site Evaluation Primer.

Battelle personnel collected numerous surface soil, sediment, and ground-water samples throughout the 20 sites at SFAAP in accordance with a sampling and analysis plan. Most of the samples were analyzed for total metals, volatile organic compounds, and semi-volatile organic compounds, with additional samples requiring analysis for polychlorinated biphenyls, nitrates/nitrites, nitroglycerine, and nitroguanidine.

RRSE scoring guidance requires site evaluation of six environmental media of concern, including: ground water (human endpoint), surface water (human endpoint), sediment (human endpoint), surface soil (human endpoint), surface water (ecological endpoint), and sediment (ecological endpoint). Each of these media, when appropriate, was evaluated by assessing the level of relative contamination, contaminant migration potential, and possible receptors of the contamination.

Based on the analytical data, exposure pathways, and receptors, 3 of the 20 sites at SFAAP had a high relative risk and 9 of the sites were recommended for No Further Action.

For further information, contact Mr. John Bauer at (410) 306-8621, bauerj@battelle.org.