Located in the middle of Oahu, Kipapa Gulch was used by the U.S. Navy to store ammunition in the early 1940’s. The Navy drilled more than 120 tunnels into the lava-rock cliffs and filled them with tons of explosives. Some archival reports indicated that a few of the tunnels may have stored chemical munitions. CBARR and a team of agencies mobilized six months ago to the site and investigated 84 of these tunnels for potential contamination.

Over the course of the project, CBARR analyzed 750 historical background air monitoring samples in its on-site mobile laboratory using DAAMS with Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer. In addition, CBARR’s Environmental Monitoring Laboratory (EML) performed extraction analysis of more than 500 soil and concrete samples collected from the tunnels for sulfur mustard and related degradation products. More than 400 of the 500 samples were extracted and analyzed utilizing the on-site mobile laboratory after successful expansion of the EML’s accreditation by the U.S. Department of Defense Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program.

During the planning of the multiyear investigation and remediation of multiple sites across Redstone Arsenal, an Army installation in the Huntsville area, the expectation was that CBARR would conduct extraction and analysis of environmental samples at ECBC. However, due to numerous concurrent operations at Redstone, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Huntsville Center, has requested additional CBARR support to conduct headspace analysis of samples prior to shipment to ECBC for low-level extraction and analysis. CBARR’s mission began in late spring and will last six to eight weeks. CBARR experts will utilize multiple MINICAMS outfitted with different analytical columns to perform headspace screening. This monitoring strategy will allow for confirmation analysis without the need for on-site analysis of DAAMS, and minimize the need for additional personnel and equipment resources.

Operations have begun at the former Savanna Army Depot in Illinois for a Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study (RI-FS) conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville Center. CBARR is supporting the investigation of three mustard burn areas with near-real-time and historical air monitoring on-site and conduct environmental sample analysis at CBARR’s fixed lab at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

In preparation for operations, contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been training in preparation for intrusive operations. CBARR has deployed a chemist and two technicians who are conducting near real-time continuous air monitoring with Miniature Continuous Air Monitoring Systems (MINICAMS) and Depot Area Air Monitoring Systems (DAAMS) collection for this mission. The team is also collecting environmental samples which will be sent to the lab at ECBC for analysis to determine if traces of chemical agent or degradation product exist. Support at the site will be required until mid-July.