Dredging in an Active Artillery Impact Area. Eagle River Flats, Alaska
Abstract
Ongoing investigations into the waterfowl die-offs and the persistence of the causal agent, white phosphorus, in Eagle River Flats, an estuarine salt marsh and military impact area, indicate that any remediation strategy will have to include consideration of removal and controlled processing of contaminated sediments. Contaminated areas that are constantly flooded, such as the deeper ponded areas, do not allow natural drying of the soil and subsequent sublimation of the residual white phosphorus (WP) particles. Some of these permanently flooded areas are interconnected over large areas and would be impractical to address through pond draining. These areas, which are generally vegetated and heavily used by affected dabbling ducks and swans, have been found to be contaminated even after five years in which no WP rounds have been fired into the Flats. Although some areas of the Flats have shown evidence of natural remediation due to drying cycles, the ponded areas still pose a substantial risk to waterfowl.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA318812
Entities
People
- Donald E. Garfield
- Ed Sorenson
- Edwin J. Chamberlain
- Karen S. Henry
- Michael R. Walsh
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory