Beach and Underwater Occurrences of Ordnance at a Former Defense Site: Erie Army Depot, Ohio.
Abstract
An oceanographic and geophysical field investigation was conducted at the U.S. Army Erie Ordnance Depot as part of the Defense Environmental Restoration Program for Formerly Used Defense Sites (DERP-FUDS). The study assessed underwater and beach ordnance distribution patterns and the implications of these patterns in terms of interpreting the influences of coastal processes in transporting ordnance. Ordnance dating back to World War I has been found throughout the offshore, on the beach, in the marshlands, and in a Federal navigation channel. During 1992 a beach cleanup operation removed over 5,000 ordnance pieces, of which approximately 20 percent were classified as live and handled appropriately. A post cleanup inspection documented new occurrences of ordnance on the beach. The immediate purpose of the field study and the associated analyses was to determine how the ordnance is getting on the beach and if continuous future contamination of the beach is anticipated. Select sites in a navigation channel, on the beach, in the nearshore, and in the offshore were surveyed using various instrument suites. Equipment included side-scan sonar, ground-penetrating radar, terrestrial and marine magnetometers, electromagnetometer, and a remotely operated vehicle for underwater video inspection. Data collection was supplemented by an inventory of the distribution of the ordnance on the beach and a geomorphic interpretation of the coastal transport processes for this site. Study results include an assessment of the performance and enhancement requirements for the various types of instrumentation used. Hypotheses have been developed regarding the mobility and pathways of transport of ordnance in the dynamic environment of this site. Study results offer a number of implications for other coastal or aquatic ordnance-contaminated locations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA306456
Entities
People
- Joan Pope
- Richard D. Lewis
- Timothy Welp
Organizations
- Coastal Engineering Research Center