Restoration Advisory Board

Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP)
Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)
January 18, 2001

Meeting Minutes

Attendance

Agenda Item #1. Introductory Remarks, Approve Minutes of 16 November 2000

Mr. Jim McKenna convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. and asked if there were any comments or questions about the 16 November 2000 RAB meeting minutes. There were none, and the minutes were approved as written.

Mr. McKenna introduced Ms. Sharon Wilcox of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Ms. Wilcox is temporarily acting as the state point of contact for the RFAAP cleanup program. She reviews the RFAAP program and documents. She works with the DEQ federal facilities group, which has taken over some of the responsibilities at RFAAP from the DEQ Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) group. The DEQ receives funding from the U.S. Department of Defense so that they can oversee the RFAAP program.

Agenda Item #2. Installation Restoration Program (IRP) Status

Mr. McKenna referred to the RFAAP IRP Status Report Update handout. He explained that the report included activities conducted to date, except for procurement actions that are ongoing from the beginning of the fiscal year in October 2000.

Agenda Item #3. Question-Answer/Input

Mr. Steve Cole inquired about the 12/1/00 report entry regarding the facility-wide background study report and native concentration of metals in soil. Mr. McKenna explained that all soil contains some metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cobalt, and/or aluminum. RFAAP prepared a work plan in late 2000 to sample the soil content. This work plan was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and a copy can be found in the information repository. By reviewing historic records and topography, RFAAP identified minimally disturbed areas, such as areas with long standing trees, to conduct the study. Samples were collected in September 2000, and RFAAP will deliver the report outlining the sampling results to EPA in early February 2001. The study will help determine the level of naturally occurring metals in the soil, which will provide a benchmark so that RFAAP knows to what level they need to clean up any contaminated soils. Discussion among the meeting attendees continued regarding different soil types and anticipated study results.

Mr. Cole asked whether you would see much of a difference if you sampled the New River above and below the plant. Mr. Jerry Redder replied that when RFAAP conducted studies for the water permit, they found no difference in bottom dwelling organisms. Mr. John Tesner added that benthic, or bottom dwelling, organisms are good indicators because they readily absorb materials from the surrounding environment. Therefore, if there are hazardous constituents in the water or sediment, the benthic population might be lower. Discussion among the meeting attendees continued regarding monitoring the river and sediment sampling.

Mr. Cole inquired about the purpose of excavating soil during cleanup activities. Ms. Wilcox stated that in some cases, the soil is removed to make the land available for future use. Mr. McKenna added that in some instances soil is not removed and depending on the future use it may be treated in situ or left in place as is. Discussion among the meeting attendees continued regarding soil treatment and disposal options.

Mr. Robert Freis asked about the activities being conducted at Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 6. Mr. McKenna reported that the soil was sampled and found to be nonhazardous. The material that had been sampled, called investigated derived material (IDM), was removed, transported, and disposed properly. RFAAP is planning to build a concrete holding tank for process water. Mr. McKenna explained that construction funds were used to pay for the sampling effort, as this was needed to keep the construction project moving. Cleanup funds will be used to prepare the SWMU 6 closeout report.

Mr. Freis referenced the 11/17–11/20/00 report entry regarding the spring survey results being incorporated into the current conditions report (Regional Groundwater Study) and asked when the current conditions report would be issued. Mr. McKenna stated that the work will be conducted in two parts. RFAAP will update Work Plan Addendum (WPA) No. 9 mid year. WPA No. 9 describes the work needed to prepare the current conditions report. Then the next phase includes using river gauges to monitor and collect data over a period of a year. Therefore, it will take some time before the current conditions report will be complete.

Agenda Item #4. Closing Remarks, Schedule Next Meeting, Adjourn

Mr. Redder suggesting discussing at the March meeting whether the RAB would be interested in doing another site tour during the May meeting. Mr. McKenna stated that the Installation Action Plan workshop will be held May 15–17, 2001. He also stated that he could give site tours to RAB members upon request.

Mr. McKenna adjourned the meeting at 8:05 p.m. The next RAB meeting will be held at RFAAP on Thursday, 15 March 2001, at 7 p.m.

Back to RAB Meeting Minutes Archives