Virginia Capes Range Complex Final Environmental Impact Statement

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VACAPES Range Complex FEIS/OEISChapter 3 Affected Environment andEnvironmental Consequences3.2 – Haz Materials/Haz WasteAdditionally, jet fuel generally evaporates from the surface of water within 24 hours and, consequently,does not persist in the marine environment.The Navy has recently implemented the Water Range Sustainability Environmental Program Assessment(WRSEPA) Policy (29 August 2008) to ensure the long-term viability of our operational ranges whileprotecting human health and the environment (Chief of Naval Operations, 2008). The impact of trainingmaterials expended in the marine environment will be a focus of the WRSEPA Policy. Protectivemeasures will be considered and implemented if practicable to sustain range operations, maintainenvironmental compliance, and address unacceptable risks associated with munitions constituents andMEMCs. Protective measures are actions or best management practices designed and implemented toabate, prevent, minimize, stabilize, or eliminate the release or the threat of release of munitionsconstituents and MEMCs and risks to human health or the environment.Tables 2.2-4 and 2.2-5 list quantities of MEM used by Navy range operation and training activities duringexercises at the VACAPES Study Area for each alternative. Appendix D contains detailed weaponssystem descriptions. MEM and associated MEMC can leak or leach small amounts of toxic substancesinto the water as they degrade and decompose (see Table 3.2-2). These items decompose very slowly, sothe volume of MEM that decomposes within the training areas, and the amounts of toxic substances beingreleased to the environment, gradually increase over the period of military use. Concentrations of somesubstances in sediments surrounding the expended material may increase over time. Sedimentmovements in response to tidal surge and longshore currents, and sediment disturbance from ship trafficand other sources can disperse these contaminants so they will be present at very low concentrations.Thus, they are anticipated to have minimal effect on the environment (Environmental SciencesGroup, 2005).Bioaccumulation, or the building up of a substance in the systems of living organisms (and thus, a foodchain) due to ready solubility in living tissues, is not anticipated to be an issue when MEM or MEMC areintroduced into the water. Although aquatic food chains are capable of accumulating certainenvironmental contaminants to toxic concentrations, MEM and MEMC from Navy activities are notexpected to contribute to bioaccumulation in the Study Area. In general, at least three properties arerequired for a contaminant to bioaccumulate in an aquatic food chain: 1) a high octanol-water partitioncoefficient, 2) chemical and metabolic stability in water and in organisms in the food chain, and 3) a lowtoxicity to organisms in the chain so that the chain is not broken by loss of an intermediate species. Mostchemicals and metals introduced to the aquatic environment by environmental contamination (includingNavy MEM and MEMC) fail to meet these requirements (Clarkson, 1995). Further, due to the expansivearea of seaspace in the VACAPES OPAREA, tidal surge and longshore currents, and sedimentdisturbance from ship traffic and other sources, MEM and MEMC would not provide a measurablecontribution to bioaccumulation within the food chain of species found in the OPAREA. Consequently,the process of bioaccumulation or its effects are not further analyzed in this EIS/OEIS.This EIS/OEIS does not contain MEM associated with sonar training. The Navy is currently preparingthe Atlantic Fleet Active Sonar Training (AFAST) EIS/OEIS for the use of multiple sonar types in theeast coast and Gulf of Mexico OPAREAs of the United States. A summary of the AFAST EIS/OEIS isprovided in Section 3.19, Summary of Sonar Effects.3.2.3.1 No Action AlternativeNavy training operations conducted under the No Action Alternative use a variety of materials. Materialsrequired in the VACAPES Study Area are broadly classified as shipboard materials necessary for normaloperations and maintenance, such as fuel and paint and MEM. MEM includes both high explosives andnon-explosive practice munitions.3-20 March 2009
VACAPES Range Complex FEIS/OEISChapter 3 Affected Environment andEnvironmental Consequences3.2 – Haz Materials/Haz WasteSome MEM, including gun ammunition, bombs, missiles, targets, chaff, and flares, are expended on therange and not recovered. A small percentage of training items containing military explosives may fail tofunction properly, and, if not recovered, may remain on the range as UXO.TABLE 3.2-2MUNITIONS CONSTITUENTS OF POTENTIAL CONCERNTraining Application/Munitions ConstituentsMunitions ElementPyrotechnicsTracersMunitions ConstituentSpotting chargesOxidizersDelay elementsPropellantsFusesDetonatorsPrimersOther explosives a/Lead oxideBarium chromatePotassium perchlorateLead chromateAmmonium perchloratePotassium perchlorateFulminate of mercuryPotassium perchlorateLead azide2-Amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-A-4,6-DNT)4-Amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-A-2,6-DNT)1,3-Dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB)2,4-Dinitrotoluene (DNT)2,6-DNTHexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (Rapid-Detonating Explosive or RDX)Methyl-2,4,6-trinitrophenylnitramine (Tetryl)NitrobenzeneNitroglycerin2-Nitrotoluene3-Nitrotoluene4-NitrotolueneOctahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine ( Octogen or HMX)Perchlorate1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene (1,3,5-TNB)2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT)Metals (such as aluminum, arsenic, lead, and mercury)a/ Source: U.S. Navy Range Sustainability Environmental Program Assessment Policy Implementation Manual, November2006The following paragraphs discuss the characteristics and the fate and transport of training items usedwithin the VACAPES Training Complex.BombsCharacteristics and Numbers of BombsTypically, bombing exercises (BOMBEX) at sea involve one or more aircraft bombing a target simulatinga hostile surface vessel. Bomb bodies are steel and the bomb fins are either steel or aluminum. Based onthe American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards specified for bomb construction, eachof the iron bomb bodies or steel fins may also contain small percentages (typically less than 1%) of any of3-21 March 2009
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