Heather McCarthy

January 22, 2010

EPA is seeking input from the public after a request by the Massachusetts National Guard and the National Guard Bureau. The military agencies want to resume training on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) using a reformulated pyrotechnic device, the M116A1 Hand Grenade.

Since 1911, MMR has been used for military purposes. It is located on Cape Cod and covers approximately thirty square miles. Camp Edwards is the northern area of MRR where most military training ranges are located. In the past, Camp Edwards was the site of numerous military activities which have harmed the environment and surrounding areas. This includes small arms firing, firing of artillery and mortars, burning of excess propellant bags, demolition training with explosives, disposal through detonation and burial of unexploded ordnance, training activities with pyrotechnic devices, rockets, grenades and mines, and packing, testing, development and disposal of weapons by military contractors.

MMR is located over the Sagamore Lens, a sole source aquifer. It is an important water resource, providing drinking water for about 200,000 year-round residents. It also provides water to 500,000 seasonal residents of Cape Cod. Drinking water wells and irrigation wells are as close as three miles to hazardous substances at MMR. One mile downslope from a former training area is a recreational pond and 3,600 feet away is a fresh water wetland. Furthermore, 37 species out of at least 876 animal species and 545 plant species located within Camp Edwards are on the Massachusetts Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern Listing.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA can regulate MRR to protect the aquifer. Four administrative orders have been issued since 1997. One such order suspended some military training activities because of the potential to contaminant the water in the area. A 1997 groundwater study showed evidence of groundwater and soil contamination from training.

The reformulated grenade, which the Massachusetts National Guard seeks to utilize, no longer contains perchlorate. Based on this information and the proposed number of grenades to be used, EPA has made a preliminary determination that the environment will not be at risk. The public comment period ends February 20, 2010.

Sources:

EPA News Release, EPA Seeks Public Input on Use of Modified Grenade Simulators at Camp Edwards (Jan. 20, 2010), http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6d651d23f5a91b768525735900400c28/2556651fd0c70883852576b10075320f!OpenDocument.

U.S. Army Envtl. Command, Groundwater Study Program at the Massachusetts Military Reservation: Fact Sheet 2002-03 (October 2001), http://groundwaterprogram.army.mil/community/facts/overview.html.

Waste Site Cleanup & Reuse in New England: Massachusetts Military Reservation (July 22, 2009), http://www.epa.gov/NE/mmr/index.html.

Massachusetts Military Reservation [MMR], Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB), Camp Edwards (Jan. 21, 2006), http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/mmr.htm.

George Brenna, EPA seeks input about grenade training plan, Cape Cod Times, Jan. 21, 2010, http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100121/NEWS11/100129952.