Virginia Capes Range Complex Final Environmental Impact Statement

VACAPES Range Complex FEIS/OEISChapter 3 Affected Environment andEnvironmental Consequences3.2 – Haz Materials/Haz WasteCheyenne, Lear Jets, and Tactical Air-Launched Decoys (TALDs). The only expended target is theTALD. The TALD is a non-powered, air-launched, aerodynamic vehicle. It provides false imagery todefense acquisition systems by using chaff/electromagnetic and radar signature augmentation. It isapproximately 7.6 feet long, 10 inches high, and 10 inches wide. It weighs about 400 pounds and isconstructed of extruded aluminum.Surface targets would include Integrated Maritime Portable Acoustic Scoring and Simulator Systems(IMPASS), Improved Surface Tow Targets (ISTT), QST-35 Seaborne Powered Targets (SEPTAR), andexpendable marine markers (smoke floats). Expended surface targets commonly used in addition tomarine markers include cardboard boxes, 55-gallon steel drums, and a 10-foot-diameter red balloontethered by a sea anchor (also known as a “killer tomato”). Floating debris, such as Styrofoam, may belost from target boats.An estimated 360 expended targets would be used each year within the VACAPES Study Area for the NoAction Alternative.Target Fate and TransportMost target fragments would sink quickly in the sea. Expended material that sinks to the sea floor wouldgradually degrade, be overgrown by marine life, and/or be incorporated into the sediments. Floating nonhazardousexpended material may be lost from target boats and would either degrade over time or washashore as flotsam.Non-hazardous expended materials are defined as the parts of a device made of non-reactive material.Typical non-reactive material includes metals such as steel and aluminum; polymers, including nylon,rubber, vinyl, and plastics; glass; fiber; and concrete. While these items represent persistent seabed litter,their strong resistance to degradation and their chemical composition mean they do not chemicallycontaminate the surrounding environment by leaching heavy metals or organic compounds.An extensive study conducted in Canada (Environmental Sciences Group, 2005) at Canadian ForcesMaritime Experimental and Test Ranges near Nanoose, British Columbia, concluded that, in general, thedirect impact of debris accumulation on the sea floor appeared to be minimal and had no detectableeffects on wildlife or sediment quality.Marine Markers (Smoke Floats)Characteristics and Numbers of Marine MarkersMarine markers are pyrotechnic devices dropped on the water’s surface. They are used in trainingexercises to mark a surface position on the ocean. The chemical flame of a marine marker burns like aflare, but also produces smoke.The MK-25 marker consists of a cylindrical, outer tube about 18.5 inches long and 3 inches in diameter.It weighs 3.7 pounds and produces a yellow flame and white smoke for 10 to 20 minutes. It contains redphosphorus and a seawater-activated battery (The Ordnance Shop, 2007a). Seawater batteries usemagnesium anodes, seawater as the electrolyte, and oxygen dissolved in the seawater as oxidant.The MK-58 is composed of tin and contains two red phosphorus pyrotechnic candles and a seawateractivatedbattery. The MK-58 marine marker is about 22 inches long and 5 inches in diameter, weighs12.8 pounds, and produces a yellow flame and white smoke for between 40 and 60 minutes (TheOrdnance Shop, 2007b).Marine markers would be used during exercises within the VACAPES Study Area for the No ActionAlternative. Approximately 300 marine markers (smoke floats) would be expended annually during theNo Action Alternative.3-25 March 2009