SUSTAINABILITY
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FEATURES<br />
DIO EOC magnetometer array used to detect ferrous anomalies in the ground © Crown<br />
DIO Explosive<br />
Ordnance Clearance<br />
EOC Gp work closely with DIO’s<br />
in-house EOC team who form part of<br />
Environment and Planning Support<br />
team. As well as being a focal point for<br />
tasking, the team also carries out<br />
geophysical surveys to identify the<br />
locations of potential ordnance, which<br />
are identified as areas of high ferrous<br />
content (anomalies) in the ground. This<br />
can help to reduce the time spent on a<br />
site by the EOC Gp as not all of the site<br />
needs to be walked over by the<br />
searchers, only selected points that<br />
have been identified from the<br />
geophysics results. DIO EOC staff will<br />
identify and mark the locations for<br />
investigation by the search team.<br />
DIO EOC prepare Unexploded<br />
Ordnance Risk Assessments (UXORA’s)<br />
for DIO sites, whether in disposal, to<br />
inform site redevelopment projects,<br />
understand MOD legacy issues on<br />
alienated land or to support use of the<br />
SD Training Estate. DIO EOC staff<br />
investigate the ordnance history of the<br />
site and use this information to assess<br />
the risk to identified receptors,<br />
predominantly MOD staff, contractors<br />
or the general public. When assessing<br />
a site, the UXORA is often the first step<br />
which could then lead to further<br />
investigation using geophysics and/or<br />
clearance by a military EOC/EOD team.<br />
Case Studies<br />
The DIO EOC team have worked<br />
alongside the EOC Gp on many<br />
occasions; two examples are given in<br />
the case studies below. The Eastern<br />
Infrastructure Project delivered a 20km<br />
(approximately) stretch of reinforced<br />
roadway to protect Salisbury Plain<br />
from excessive erosion when military<br />
vehicles transit the area. The DIO EOC<br />
team scanned the majority of the<br />
route, marking the ferrous anomalies<br />
for investigation by the EOC Gp. Areas<br />
not scanned were cleared using EOC<br />
Gp’s standard approach of ‘search on<br />
Magnetometer scan from Eastern Infrastructure Project at Upavon, showing historic mortar impact area © Crown<br />
signal’. In one particular area a high<br />
density of UXO was discovered and<br />
this led to a request for further<br />
geophysical work to understand the<br />
extent of the affected area. The DIO<br />
EOC survey showed that the route<br />
crossed a former, previously unknown<br />
mortar impact area. The geophysical<br />
scan is shown below with the impact<br />
area clearly visible due to the high<br />
density of metallic response. The<br />
information provided by DIO EOC<br />
assisted the EOC Gp in their planning<br />
of the task and ensured timely<br />
completion in accordance with the<br />
construction schedule.<br />
Mortars and Smiths Rounds recovered from<br />
Barton’s Point, Isle of Sheppey © Crown<br />
A joint task was completed at<br />
Bar ton’s Point, Isle of Sheppey, the<br />
site of a W WII Home Guard mor tar<br />
training area. T his is alienated land<br />
and is now a camp site owned and<br />
operated by the local council. An<br />
emergency bomb disposal team was<br />
called to investigate the suspicious<br />
items found as a MACP (Militar y Aid<br />
to Civilian Powers) task . T h e team<br />
that at tende d the c all rep or te d<br />
a numb er of live o rdnance items<br />
an d a plann e d clearance th en took<br />
place. DIO EO C complete d a scan o f<br />
the area and p rovide d the EO C Gp<br />
with 1106 lo c atio ns to inves tigate.<br />
203 items of iner t or ex p en ded<br />
ordnan ce were re covere d f ro m t h e<br />
si te, pre d o minantly m or t ars and<br />
Smiths R ounds, allowing it to return<br />
to us e as a campsite.<br />
Paul Burden<br />
Principal<br />
Explosive Ordnance Clearance<br />
Defence Infrastructure Organisation<br />
Sanctuary 44 • 2015<br />
23