Abercrombie said: ¡°Given the short timeline for this information paper, it is necessarily incomplete. It¡¯s a progress report, not a definitive study.  Its shortcomings, understandable under the circumstances, point up the need for a thorough, comprehensive study and analysis.  I will introduce legislation in the near future calling for:

 

• An underwater survey of  sites where chemical munitions are believed to have been dumped;

 

• Monitoring confirmed dump sites and Hawaii coastal waters for possible release of harmful agents;

 

• A research program to study the long-term effects of sea water on chemical weapons; and

 

• Reporting to Congress on the public health and environmental risks posed by the dump sites, and the feasibility and estimated costs of remediation.

 

¡°This needs to be approached soberly and deliberately.  Once the legislative language is finalized, I intend to work for the bill¡¯s incorporation into the fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. That way, it will have the best chance of being enacted into law and setting us on course to address this issue in a responsible way that protects Hawaii¡¯s environment and the health of our people.¡±

 

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5 pages follow: ¡°Military Sea Disposal Operations Near Hawaii¡±

 

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

 

 

INFORMATION PAPER

 

January 31, 2006

 

SUBJECT:  Military Sea Disposal Operations Near Hawaii

 

     The Army and its sister Services are conducting an archive search of historical records on

the disposal of military materials at sea, including near Hawaii.  This review includes records

at the National Archives and studies and survey reports on sea disposal sites.  A brief summary of the findings to date is provided below.

 

1.  The Army is focusing its initial research on identifying sea-disposal sites of Chemical Warfare Materiel (CWM) and conventional munitions in and around the Hawaiian Islands.  Personnel with specific expertise in chemical and conventional munitions are reviewing records at the National Archives at both College Park, Maryland and in Washington, District of Columbia. 

 

2.  In 1944, War Department and Service procedures required sea disposal sites be at least 300 feet deep and 10 miles from shore.  However, in 1945, the Department revised that policy, requiring disposal sites to be at depth of at least 600 feet and 10 miles from shore, unless a deeper site was found closer to shore.  A 1946 War Department circular assigned the Army Chief of Transportation responsibility for the selection of sites and methods of operation for sea disposal, and required that such operations be coordinated with the Naval District Commandant.  This circular revised the disposal depth to 6,000 feet for chemicals and 3,000 feet for other explosives and ammunition.  In an April 24, 1945 memorandum, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) instructed all Navy and Coast Guard commands to establish and record the locations of disposals of all ¡°explosives, ammunition, and chemical munitions.¡±  The CNO also required that disposal sites be located outside regular shipping lanes, fishing grounds, submarine operating areas, and well away from ocean cables.  Additionally, locations were reported to the Government Hydrographic Office, which, in turn, used the information to post warnings to mariners.

 

3.  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) nautical charts indicate four explosive material disposal sites in waters off the Hawaiian Islands.  A November 14, 1945, memorandum from the Commandant of the14th Naval District, Pearl Harbor, established these locations as disposal sites for ¡°explosives, ammunitions, and chemicals.¡±  The Army is working to obtain documentation verifying the locations and types of materiel disposed of within these charted areas.

 

4.  Information on Chemical Warfare Material disposals:

 

            a.  A 2001 Army report identified three CWM sea-disposals near Hawaii between 1944 and 1945.  The Army is in the process of verifying documentation about the disposals and expects to complete this effort in early 2006. 

b.  Based on its review, the Army has assembled the following CWM related documentation:

 

                  (1)  An inventory of CWM, to include the identification of obsolete, unserviceable and leaking munitions disposed of from 1925 to 1948.  The large quantity sea-disposals only occurred between 1944 and 1946.  (Only mustard, lewisite, hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride appear to have been disposed of at sea near Hawaii.)

 

                  (2)  Coordinates of sea-disposal sites from ships logs.  These include the logs of Landing Ship Medium (LSM) 264, which participated in a 1945 Hawaiian disposal operation, and its two U.S. Coast Guard cutter escorts.  LSM 264's log contains contemporaneous notes that may verify material disposed and the disposal coordinates.  The Army is attempting to obtain the logs for the other ships involved in disposal operations.  Some of the correspondence the Army reviewed suggests that a disposal occurred in 1944, pre-dating the earliest documented disposal site, but the disposal may have occurred at one of the sites later approved for disposal.

 

5.  Information on conventional munitions:         

 

            a.  Other records the Army has reviewed indicate that the military used water targets for ground-based artillery in Hawaii, Army Air Corps aerial bombing, and military training operations on Oahu from 1925 to 1945.  These records also include documentation about the sea disposal of conventional munitions.

 

            b.  In 1996, the Army completed an investigation, which included sonar and underwater video surveys, of the ocean area between 2.25 and 6 miles south of Oahu.  The surveys identified 46 munitions (small arms, large naval artillery shells, depth charges, a mine, a bomb) and components on the ocean floor at a depth of 820 to 1,740 feet.  This area also lies within the firing range fans from Fort Weaver and Alum Point.

 

            c.  In 2002, the Army surveyed an area near the Waianae sewage outfall--referred to locally as Ordnance Reef--and identified over 2,000 military munitions at depths ranging from 15 to 240 feet, with the majority of munitions observed at depths below 60 feet.  The closest items are approximately ¨ù-mile from shore with the bulk located over ¨ö-mile from shore.

 

            d.  During recent meetings in Hawaii, the staff from the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, University of Hawaii, provided numerous photographs of munitions taken along the underwater sea wall near Barber's Point, at a depth of approximately 1,000 feet or deeper.

 

6.  Other background information:

 

            a.  The Navy collected data from deep water disposal sites (three in the Atlantic in the early 1970¡¯s and one in the northern Pacific), two of which were used for chemical weapons disposal.  Subsequent monitoring was performed at one site annually from 1971 through 1975.  The Navy found no evidence of any environmental impacts at any of these sites. 

 

            b.  DoD is currently reviewing past scientific studies, both US and international, on the effects

of seawater on chemical munitions and the potential impacts of sea disposal on marine environments.  This research, the will enable us to gain a better understanding of the current condition of materiel disposed of at sea, and support informed decisions on next steps to be taken to address these sites.  Several other countries, notably England and Australia, have determined that the best approach is to document locations on nautical charts, and restrict access/activities at these sites, and provide safety education to maritime and coastal communities. 

 

         c.  Chemical agents degrade over time into less toxic materials.  The rate of degradation varies from minutes to months based on the agent involved and environmental conditions. 

(See attachment.)  

 

7.  The point of contact is Colonel Charles Pede, Office of the Chief of Legislative Liaison, at

(703) 697-0275.

 

Attachment