News

River River Drops of rain on a leaf

News Release
June 5, 2002

Neighborhood Notice

Dear Neighbor,

We want to inform you that we will be conducting several open or blow in place detonations at Camp Edwards on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) this Friday. Only one of these will be in the Sandwich Neighborhood Buffer Zone. We apologize for the inconvenience. This is part of our ongoing effort to clean up and restore the areas of Camp Edwards that were used for historical training activities.

Details on the current detonation are:
What: Blow-In-Place Detonation
Date: Friday, June 7, 2002
Time: Between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm
Affected Area: Belmont Avenue, Pebble Path, Jasper Lane and Snake Pond Road

The detonation in the Neighborhood Buffer Zone will involve one 2.36" rocket, found on the ground west of the Unit Training Equipment Site and northwest of the Massachusetts Military Reservation’s Sandwich Gate. Several other detonations also will be conducted on Friday, however, those will be in the northern portion of the J-2 range outside of the Buffer Zone.

Whenever possible, we remove munitions found in our investigation to a safe storage area and detonate them in a Contained Detonation Chamber. However, engineers determined these items cannot be safely transported. As a safety precaution, they will be blown-in-place. Significant engineering controls will be in place to contain the blast. With these controls in place, there is no risk to residents of the nearby area.

The soil area surrounding the detonation will be sampled immediately following the event for residual explosive compounds. If any contamination is found, the soil will be covered until it can be removed and disposed of in accordance with applicable regulations.

As part of our effort to keep our neighbors informed of activities at Camp Edwards, we will notify you if other items, found in the future, require blow-in-place detonations.

The National Guard Bureau’s Impact Area Groundwater Study Program has been working on an investigation and cleanup of the upper 15,000 acres at Camp Edwards on the Massachusetts Military Reservation since 1997. As part of an agreement with the Town of Sandwich, a procedure for neighborhood notification was established to keep residents fully informed of progress regarding these findings. Please feel free to call us with questions.

# # #

For more information, contact:
Christine Dolen, Groundwater Study Program, (508) 968-5629
Todd Borci, EPA New England Region 1, (617) 918-1358 or (888) 372-7341 ext. 81358

Site Map | Related Links | Comments/Contact Us | Search | Home
Administrative Notice