THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 10, 1994 TAG: 9408100497
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SARAH HUNTLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
The co-owner of the North Carolina firm hired to inspect Fort Eustis soil for explosive devices before it was delivered to trailer parks said Tuesday that his company followed its contract with the Army and had done nothing wrong.
``There absolutely was no mistake on our part,'' said Charles Wharton of Environmental Hazards Specialists Inc. of Belvedere, N.C., as he held a yellow bucket that contained bullet casings unearthed from soil delivered to the Torrey Pines trailer park.
Residents at Torrey Pines, Windy Hill Mobile Home Estates and Gibson Mobile Home Estates found bullet casings and live ammunition Sunday in the mounds of dirt, which came from the area of the Fort Eustis firing range where soldiers load their weapons. Contractors removed eight truckloads of soil from the range, which is under renovation. Experts are concerned that the soil may be contaminated with lead.
Wharton wore an orange T-shirt with his company's logo and the words ``Bomb Disposal,'' as he explained the specifics of the contract. Wharton said his firm was hired to search the firing range for unexploded artillery shells, missiles and other large ordnance, but not for live small-arms rounds.
Unexploded artillery shells pose a higher risk than unfired ammunition because they contain explosive charges and might detonate if moved or tampered with, Wharton said. Small-arms ammunition for M-16, M-60 and M-14 weapons should be handled with caution, but the bullets are unlikely to cause harm unless fired from a weapon.
``There are very, very, very slim odds,'' Wharton said. ``Sure, you should use caution, but these are not a hazard.''
Wharton's crew found empty cartridges at the Fort Eustis site, but did not report them because they were not considered hazardous and were not included in the contract. One larger unexploded ordnance, which Wharton described as a 75mm round, was located 3 1/2 feet below ground at Fort Eustis. It was removed safely.
As environmental hazards specialists ran metal detectors over the soil at Torrey Pines and collected casings, the Army Corps of Engineers accepted responsibility for not including small-arms ammunition and lead analysis in the contract.
``We're pulling all the strings out on this one. We are still looking into administratively how this happened,'' said Bill Brown, spokesman for the Norfolk division of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Tuesday's soil sweeps revealed no additional live ammunition at Torrey Pines, Brown said. The other two sites will be swept for bullets today.
Lead test results are expected on Thursday or Friday. Officials collected soil samples for lead testing from 12 sites at Torrey Pines late Monday. But Brown said the soil would be removed late Tuesday and early today, before the test results are determined.
``As it stands now, we want to move the dirt back to a safe location regardless of the test results,'' Brown said. ``We want to get this soil removed as quickly and as safely as possible.''
Employees of the primary contractor, Reliable Builders Inc., who will handle the soil's removal, will wear hazardous-materials suits and masks, Brown said. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
As neighborhood youngsters look on, Charlie Richardson, a field
supervisor for Environmental Hazards Specialists Inc. of Belvedere,
N.C., uses an ordnance-seeking device to search for ammunition in a
yard at a home located in the 400 block ofTrellis Court in Newport
News.
by CNB