The U.S. Army says it is making progress in addressing groundwater contamination caused by Fort Detrick’s Area B, a 399-acre plot of land used in the mid-20th century as a test site for the Army’s biological warfare program.
For more than a decade, the Army has been studying the groundwater contamination problems on and around the property between Kemp Lane and Shookstown Road and — more recently — testing technology to treat it.
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(7) comments
That's why we call all those homes on Kemp lane "Superfund Estates"! Those poor people who buy those homes have no idea what they're getting into!
Sounds like a lot of foot dragging. Idea seems to be do as little as possible as you pretend to do a lot.
Unfortunately, that par for the course especially for the government (be it local state or federal).
Areas around military bases are the most lethal sites in US. Ft. Levine has terrible records of horrendous birth injuries almost not to be believed. And solders are STILL exposed to same overseas. "Gulf War Syndrome" is finally agreed results of untested Anthrax vaccine and exposure to, even from "guard duty" of hazmat on base. Many have radiation sickness from the unexploded rad shells all over from Iraq to Afghanistan. And soldiers are denied med care! This bless Karl Rove and Dear Dick Chaney.
The article says nothing about the high cancer rate around Detrick. Why not? Everyone living there has a story. The Army has no interest in any remedial action, much less "clean up." Using the usual delaying tactics cover-up is old story. Nothing will be done. The brave young doctors who published their evidence paid heavy price for their courage. Nothing is going to make anything better. All their managers will keep up their misdirection.
The federal government (and state governments) are some of the worst polluters and fight the most against penalties for their violations. I had the pleasure of testifying in an administrative hearing for the EPA against the Army who removed asbestos containing material without following the regulations. The Army even used untrained soldiers to remove asbestos containing floor tiles and mastic. The state had a case against them with only an $8,000 penalty but the Army wouldn't settle because they wanted the penalty to be called a fee (so the base commander wouldn't lose bonuses or whatever for having an environmental fine). The state passed the case on to the EPA and the EPA got an over $80,000 penalty. The Navy crewed up royally at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center and eventually had to remove acres of asbestos contaminated soil that they contaminated because they didn't want to do the building demolitions correctly. The state and even EPA Region 3 were going to be lenient on the Navy but again EPA HQ came in and made sure the Navy cleaned up their mess. They had to go to Congress to get a line item in the budget to fund the cleanup of the mess they created which would have been avoided if they didn't play loose with the regulations.
Sounds un-cleanupable to me.
It can be cleaned up but not if they leave buried containers in the ground. Those will continue to leak. They can reduce the health risks but won't eliminate them with their approach.
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