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A Month of Discoveries

Spring is finally here and the busy UXO field season is right around the corner. With the amount of UXO projects planned, this season may prove to be busier than last. This month we have some interesting articles on UXO discoveries including three separate incidents involving UXO uncovered by unsuspecting homeowners. There are also two articles on underwater UXO discoveries including UXO found during dredge operations and a UXO discovery in a lakebed. This month we also feature a "letter to the editor" submitted by one of the UXOInfo.com readers and a UXO Trivia Question for you.

I would also like to take this time to thank all of the UXOInfo.com Corporate Sponsors and Advertisers for their support. To learn how UXOInfo.com can promote your UXO company or products to the UXO industry, please contact me at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

Thank you and please stay safe.

Unexploded WWII Era Mortar Found in Lake

Liverpool, United Kingdom a woman walking her dog in Sefton Park noticed an unusual item sticking out of the mud in a section of a lake that was recently drained. The woman suspected that the item was a munition because she had seen a similar item on a visit to the Perch Rock museum. The woman called the police and described the item as an 8-inch long rusty munition with fins on the end.

The police responded with technical support provided by a military EOD team based out of Chester. EOD identified the item as a WWII era mortar and determined that it was safe to relocate. EOD safely removed the UXO and transported it to a range for proper disposal. The lake had been partially drained as part of a major pond renovation project.

Gardening and Yard Work UXO Incidents

Norristown, Pennsylvania a homeowner digging in his garden uncovered a small cylindrical object about 2 inches long with markings indicating that it contained explosives. The man called the Montgomery County Sherriff's office who responded with a Bomb Disposal Unit. The responding Bomb Technicians identified the item as an unexpended commercial blasting cap. Authorities suspect that the blasting cap may have been left over from when the houses were constructed in the area. Concerned over the potential for other blasting caps, the Bomb Disposal Technicians conducted a survey of the area but did not find any additional blasting caps or any other hazardous material. The blasting cap was safely disposed of by the Bomb Disposal Unit without incident.

Rocky Mount, North Carolina A homeowner doing yard work uncovered an old rusty hand grenade. The homeowner called the Rocky Mount police who responded and evacuated the immediate area. The Army EOD unit based out of Fort Bragg was called in to provide technical support. EOD identified the hand grenade as a WWII era practice grenade. EOD conducted a search of the area and found a second practice grenade in close proximity to the first. EOD safely transported the grenades back to Fort Bragg for proper disposal.

Proposed Plan Out for Review For CAIS Site

Cherokee, Oklahoma The USACE Oklahoma District is seeking public comment on the Proposed Plan for the Crystal Digging Area site located within the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. The FUDS was a popular tourist attraction for decades that saw an average of 30,000 annual visitors before it was closed back in April 2007. The site was closed when a CAIS (chemical agent identification set) vial was discovered by a young boy digging for selenite crystals in the area (original UXOInfo.com article link).

The U.S. Army 22nd Chemical Battalion responded shortly after the initial CAIS vial was found and uncovered 134 additional CAIS vials and three incendiary munitions. A TCRA was conducted in the summer of 2007 where 28 additional CAIS vials were recovered along with munitions debris. CAIS vials recovered from the site included vials from the K951 and K952 type kits.

Article continues on UXOInfo.com.

UXO Found During Dredging Operation

Charleston, South Carolina Workers at the Detyens Shipyard dredging in the area of Pier H came across an old artillery shell. Workers called the police who responded with a Bomb Disposal Team. The Bomb Disposal Team reported the item and an unexploded artillery shell (type and size not reported). The UXO was transported to Charleston Air Force Base where it was properly disposed of. The UXO was from the former Charleston Navy base in North Charleston.

Upcoming UXO Related Events

Plan to attend the Fourth Annual Canadian DND UXO Forum hosted by the Department of National Defence UXO and Legacy Sites Program in historic and beautiful Quebec City, Canada from May 12 to 14, 2009.

This year's Forum theme is Leveraging Technology to Safeguard the Public.

• Dr Robert Walker, Assistant Deputy Minister (Science and Technology) of the Department of National Defence and the Chief Executive Officer of Defence R&D Canada as the Keynote Speaker.


• Defence Research and Development Canada exhibits and posters featuring several of their projects.


• Mr. J. C. King, Assistant for Munitions and Chemical Matters, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, as an invited speaker.


• Heather Polinsky, President of the National Association of OEW Contractors (NAOC), as an invited speaker.


• Panel presentations on Safety and Quality Assurance/Quality Control issues.

These are only a few of the speakers, presentations and exhibitors for the Fourth Annual DND UXO and Legacy Sites Program. For the complete list and a detailed program, visit the Forum Website at http://www.goldenplanners.ca/UXO/2009/e/index.html

With over 14 years of Environmental Remediation expertise, Enscicon Corporation has established an industry-leading approach to locating and attracting top-level talent for our clients. With a team dedicated to the UXO/MEC/EOD industries, we are able to assist in supporting clients with exceptional personnel including:

• Program Managers
• Project Managers
• Operations Managers
• Project Scientists (Geophysicists, Geologists, Physicists)
• UXO Techs
• Health & Safety Engineers
• Environmental Engineers
• Technical Writers/Illustrators

For more information, please see our website at www.enscicon.com, or contact Jack Hamlin at hamlinj@enscicon.com or 303-785-8028.

Established 35 years ago, EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc. is a small business, which has done nearly $1 Billion in HTRW/MEC investigation, restoration, design, and remediation in the last 15 years. EA has supported USACE, AFCEE, ANG and the Navy at thousands of sites nationwide under multiple DOD programs--including MMRP, SRP, IRP, FUDS and BRAC.

With 19 offices nationwide, EA is considered a leader in both HTRW and MEC. EA received the 2008 Environmental Business Journal Achievement Award for their work in the MEC Market. EA's staff of more than 400 professionals integrates MEC/UXO specialists, geologists, engineers, regulatory specialists, risk assessors, data management and communication specialists to provide practical solutions that help their clients achieve their business goals.

EA's standard of excellence is to consistently provide their clients with the highest level of technical competence, strong project management, worksite safety, quality control, and financial accountability.

For more information on EA, please visit their website at www.eaest.com.

Schonstedt Instrument Company is the world's leading manufacturer of hand-held Fluxgate magnetometers for UXO and weapons detection. Schonstedt magnetic locators find ferrous metal targets used in landmines, buried ordnance, other munitions and explosives of concern (MEC), and hidden weapons. They have been tested and proven by the US military, private contractors and NGOs in military and humanitarian de-mining operations around the globe. For a 1-page overview of the company's magnetic locator product line, go to www.findordnance.com

Schonstedt Instrument Company
100 Edmond Road
Kearneysville, WV 25430
USA
Contact: Tylee Ulmer

Information on Corporate Sponsorships can be found in the UXO Opportunities Brief. If you have any questions on Corporate Sponsorships or want to sign up, please contact the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com or 267.295.8010.

Letter To The Editor

First, let me say how much I enjoy your newsletter and the related links every month. I am a very faithful reader and I want to thank you for your effort.

But this month [February 2009], I have to take great exception to your "headline" of calling UXO incidents "false alarms" because upon subsequent inspection by a trained, qualified UXO or EOD technician, the items turned out to be inert or non-hazardous.

In my opinion, the public finds an item, like in these cases, and PROPERLY reports it. How can you call this "false?" To prevent the stigma invariably associated with a word like "false," would you have the public make this determination themselves? We need to continue to encourage members of the public to "raise the alarm" and report any suspicious item found. Then when we as UXO/EOD technicians categorize the item, it can be and will be properly handled. NOTHING in this whole process should be called "false" just because the item is eventually classified as "acceptable to transport" or ideally, "inert."

Your categorization of these events as "false" cannot be conducive to encouraging further accurate reporting by these or other members of the public.

Explosives Found in Shed

Thibodaux, Louisiana The son of a late bomb disposal technician who died last September was clearing out his father's shed when he came across a box with explosives and blasting caps inside. The son called the police who responded with technical support provided by a State Bomb Disposal Team. Authorities searched the shed and retrieved three ammunition cans containing more than 100 blasting caps, a five-pound block of C-4, and a liquid chemical used as to accelerate fires.

The challenge? Extracting UXO and munitions safely from the environment, and disposing of them with minimum human health exposure. Our Munitions Response Consultant jobs provide you with an opportunity to provide project level support for multiple Munitions Response (MR) projects primarily across Canada, but may also support programs in the U.S. and abroad. CH2M HILL looks for highly motivated, results-oriented employees. Each day, you will be the face of CH2M HILL as you develop strategies, execute projects, interact with regulators, related to MR issues, and provide technical direction to project staff and subcontractor teams.

You should be an independent, highly-motivated team player with 15 plus years of MR experience, which may be a combination of active duty military EOD and contractor MR Experience; a graduate of a military EOD school and a PE or PG is desirable; and have a desire to grow personally as well as professionally with each MR job.

To view the entire Help Wanted Ad including a link on where to find more informtion visit UXOInfo.com.

The focus of UXOInfo.com's UXO Resume Referral Service is to find qualified and available UXO professionals to fit the needs of your UXO project. Whether your project requires part-time temporary UXO professionals or full-time permanent placements, the UXO Resume Referral Service can help. To use the service, email us the specifications for your UXO project (e.g., location, scope, duration, levels and numbers of positions available). Based upon your specifics, UXOInfo.com then searchers the 100's of resumes in our UXO resume database to match qualified candidates that fit the specific needs and requirements of your project. UXOInfo.com contacts the qualified candidates directly to confirm their interest and availability. All qualified, available, and interested candidates are then forwarded to you for consideration. Affordable referral rates vary by position and the number of personnel needed.

For more information on the UXO Resume Referral Service, please contact the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

Enter your resume into the UXOInfo.com UXO Resume Database and start receiving offers and opportunities in the UXO industry. Use the UXO Profile Entry Form and complete your free profile today.

Okinawa, Japan An EOD Marine was killed when an unintentional explosion reportedly occurred during the preparation of a UXO disposal shot. Another Marine and a Sailor were injured during the explosion. The incident happened at the north end of Camp Hansen, a Marine Corps installation that is also used by the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force. The incident is under investigation and so far no details have been released regarding the type of UXO involved or potential cause(s) of the explosion. The names of the Marines and Sailor have also not been released.

The following question was received by a UXOInfo.com reader:

"In the 1940's British bomb disposal units were split into two team types: Removal teams and Sterilization teams. What were the differences in duties and responsibilities of the two teams? Please define removal and sterilization as it pertained to British Bomb disposal procedures in the 1940's."

If you think you know the answer, please visit UXOInfo.com and post your answer as a comment to the 06 March 2009 article.