UXO Site selected: Fort Meade, MD |
General Area: Odenton, MD Site Type/Program: RCWM sites (Non-stockpile) Location: Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - North Tract, Laurel, Maryland (Anne Arundel County) Brief History: 1917 The installation contained approximately 13,000 acres; however, recent land transfers have reduced the size of the base to approximately 5,000 acres. 1988 The U.S. Army Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) recommended that 9,000 acres of FGGM be closed or excessed. These 9,000 acres encompass the southernmost two-thirds of the formerly 13,596-acre facility. 1989 The U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency (now the U.S. Army Environmental Center [USAEC]) conducted an enhanced Preliminary Assessment of the 9,000-acre BRAC parcel. This report identified a concern of UXO contamination to exist anywhere on the BRAC parcel. Specific records from the archives at FGGM were not adequate to verify the extent, character, and location of the UXO contamination. Early 1990s The U.S. Army transferred by Congressional mandate approximately 8,100 acres to the Department of the Interior (DOI) for use as a wildlife refuge administered by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (now the Patuxent Research Refuge). 2001 Approximately 347 acres of BRAC property transferred to Anne Arundel County for use as a municipal airfield. The installation currently contains administration, recreational, and housing facilities. The base formerly contained limited training areas and firing/combat ranges; these areas were included within the recent land transfers. In support of the BRAC environmental restoration program, USAEC has undertaken an UXO survey to locate and identify areas on the BRAC parcel. Incidental to these surveys, USAEC has located a number of UXO, which may have been smoke projectiles, which have physical characteristics similar to chemical-filled ordnance. Photoionization neutron spectroscopy testing has been completed on 25 unexploded rounds suspected of containing chemical agent. All tests showed that no rounds contained chemical agent. There have been reports of chemical agent identification kits once having been stored at FGGM, as well as mustard agent. WWI-era training possibly involving mustard has been reported also. The reports could not be verified in their entirety, and extensive searches have not indicated any agent presence." |
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Range / Site Description: In the 1950s an unknown number of chemical agent identification sets were stored here. It was reported that mustard agent was stored in three concrete structures in the 1920s. It was also reported that in the mid-1950s some canisters containing mustard were unearthed by heavy equipment and then the area was backfilled without removing the canisters. Associated Munitions: Chemical agent identification sets and possible mustard. Activities Completed: USAEC unexploded ordnance surveys were completed in June 1994. Issues: Other Information: This installation is not believed to present any immediate threat to human health or safety due to chemical agents. Public access is controlled by the Department of the Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. It is believed that DOI intends the property to be fully utilized for public access programs. |
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