Mr. Jim McKenna began the meeting at 7:07 p.m.

There were no minutes to approve because there was a site tour in place of the May RAB meeting.

Mr. McKenna began by describing some recent newspaper coverage of RFAAP, including the restoration program. He asked if RAB members had heard any feedback or reaction to the articles. Nobody offered any examples. He said a news release was prepared by RFAAP public affairs, as a means for disseminating information about the planned TNT production at the facility however the media did not publish it. Mr. McKenna brought a copy to the meeting for the members to read.

Mr. McKenna said Mr. Mark Leeper from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is on military active duty and was unable to attend. VDEQ’s Mr. Durwood Willis was also unable to attend because of issues related to the recent hurricane.

Mr. McKenna said the RFI for Building 4343 evolved into a combined RFI/Corrective Measures Study (CMS), reflecting the accelerated work on the site. The document will form the basis for a remedial design which is programmed for fiscal year 2004. The actual cleanup may involve removal of soil, Mr. McKenna said, but alternatives are still being considered.

RAB members asked questions about the risks related to cadmium, its effect on the body, and movement in the soil.

Mr. McKenna said they would consider a “residential scenario” as a cleanup goal, meaning it would be clean enough for a house to be built there and no long-term monitoring would be required and allows for site reuse. An “industrial standard” would leave waste in place, require long-term monitoring to ensure the remedy is preventing movement of the contaminants and would not allow for site reuse. Mr. John Tesner said toxicological data is used during the risk assessment process to assess potential impact on human and ecological health.

Mr. McKenna said the cadmium at Building 4343 appears to have moved vertically about six feet within the confines of the drainage ditch.

Mr. McKenna said sampling work at other sites is also underway in accordance with approved work plans.

Mr. Steve Cole asked if the new plans to produce TNT could impact cleanup efforts.

Mr. Jerry Redder said some sites may be affected because of proximity to the TNT production area. If so, Alliant will work with the remediation program to address issues during construction at the TNT site. Mr. McKenna added that the construction activities would not likely interfere with remediation investigations.

Mr. McKenna asked if there were any objections to scheduling RAB meetings quarterly instead of every other month. There were no objections. He said that meeting frequency could be increased as needed.

Mr. McKenna said a public meeting may be scheduled for the spring of 2004 to present information on Building 4343 RFI/CMS Report but it hinges on regulatory and Army approval of the report. The meeting would likely be held at the New River Valley Competitiveness Center.

The next Installation Action Plan workshop is also scheduled for late April 2003 and RAB members are welcome to attend.

RAB members asked various questions about results from investigations at the NRU. Mr. McKenna said he is working with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District and ATK on NRU Remedial Investigation Report and added, based on his knowledge, it will be the first report on the New River Unit (NRU). The document will present, evaluate, and assess data collected from 1997 to the Summer 2002 sampling effort. Mr. McKenna said of six areas studied, three may require additional sampling. There is enough data for the other three to decide on future actions. One of those will not likely require any further action. The data, evaluations, and assessments for the NRU will be contained in the RI report tentatively scheduled for submission by this coming Thanksgiving. Mr. McKenna said the primary contaminants, metals, came from the exposed conductive flooring and have moved about five feet laterally and three feet vertically since the 1980s. Therefore we have time to consider what options would be best to address these areas.

Mr. Jeff Parks said exposure through plants was not a major pathway for the metals to reach humans or wildlife, based on the risk assessments. Moreover, the vegetation in the area did not seem stressed.

There was additional discussion about the metals binding to the soils, and the possibility of acid rains breaking those bonds. Mr. Parks said rainfall in the area would most likely not be acidic enough to affect the flooring or contaminated soil.