Energetic Materials and Metals Contamination at CFB/ASU Wainwirght, Alberta Phase 1
Abstract
Military training on fields and ranges at Canadian Force Bases is essential to prepare our troops for potential wars and/or peace missions. On the other hand, the growing concern of DND leaders and of the general population makes it necessary to evaluate the impacts of training on the environment. During the last 10 years, new methods of characterisation have been developed to assess the energetic materials contamination, which is different from the usual contamination in residential or industrial scenarios. The CFB/ASU Wainwright in Alberta was characterized to assess the contamination by metals and energetic materials into the soil and the biomass. This location was selected based on its intensive use by Canadian and allied troops and based on its potential for heavier training intensity in the future. Several types of training sites were visited such as grenade, rifle, battle run, small arms and anti-tank ranges. The different methods of characterisation were adapted for each situation, i.e. the type of fired ammunition, the concentration of contaminants, and the size and the pattern of the training sites. Soil and biomass samples were taken using a composite approach to be statistically representative. The metal analyses were performed at PSC laboratory in Edmonton and the energetic materials were analyzed at DRDC Valcartier. This work was realized in May-June 2004 and was supported by the Director Land Environment (DLE), Ottawa, Canada and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Washington D.C., USA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA609164
Entities
People
- Andre Marois
- Annie Gagnon
- Emmanuela Diaz
- Guy Ampleman
- Sonia Thiboutot
- Sylvie Brochu
Organizations
- DRDC Valcartier