Current Activities at RVAAP

The Army has conducted a great deal of environmental sampling, evaluation and cleanup work at the RVAAP. This webpage describes the work that is currently in progress at various Areas of Concern (AOCs) across the facility. This page was last updated on August 12, 2008.

Load Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 

The Interim Record of Decision (ROD) and remedial action work plans for the cleanup of soils at Load Lines1, 2, 3 and 4 have been approved. The remediation of soils, except those underneath building slabs, is complete. The demolition of buildings is complete and the building slabs have been removed at Load Lines 2, 3, and 4.

A contractor has been sampling the soils beneath the floor slabs at Load Lines 2, 3, and 4.  The purpose of this sampling is to decide whether there is contamination below the slabs that needs to be removed.  The sampling has two steps. As soon as each slab is removed, discrete soil samples are taken and the TNT and RDX concentrations are determined using a field screening test. Next composite samples called multi-increment samples are taken by combining many soil samples from within the entire building footprint.  The multi-increment samples are analyzed for a number of additional chemicals.

The field screening sampling was conducted between March 21, 2008 and May 30, 2008.  Over 700 samples were collected and analyzed for TNT and RDX using a colorimetric test conducted in a temporary laboratory set up at Ravenna. 

Three buildings within Load Line 3 exceeded the established cleanup level for TNT, and the building footprints were covered with plastic pending removal of that soil.  Soils at several other areas near the buildings were also tested and found to contain levels of TNT above the cleanup level.  These areas were also covered with plastic.

The multi-increment sampling was begun June 17, 2008, and was completed (except for three building footprints) by July 3, 2008.  Approximately 100 multi-increment samples were collected.  The three building footprints not sampled are under water and are being allowed to dry out before sampling can be done.  The multi-increment samples were sent to a laboratory for analysis.  The results of these analyses have not yet been received.

Once all the analytical data are received, excavation of the contaminated soil identified in the field screening and any additional areas identified in the multi-increment sampling will begin.

In addition to the sampling, several stockpiles of soil have been removed from three buildings at Load Line 4, in anticipation of storing contaminated soil within those buildings until disposal is arranged.  A total of 500 tons of material was removed and sent to an approved landfill from July 29 through July 31, 2008.

Load Line 6 and Load Line 9

The Remedial Investigation reports for Load Line 6 and Load Line 9 have been completed.

Load Lines 5 and 7
Photos for LL5 & 7

Demolition of Building 1039 and buildings at Load Lines 5 and 7 is complete.  The area has been graded and grass seed planted. This is a Base-Re-alignment and Closure (BRAC)  project and has no Ohio EPA oversight. Demolition of Building 1039 and buildings at Load Lines 5 and 7 was completed in 2006 by the BRAC Division. In summer 2007, the USACE, Louisville District, completed surface soil sampling in areas beneath the former floor slabs. A performance-based contract that includes the cleanup of Load Lines 5 and 7 was awarded this summer.

Winklepeck Burning Grounds
Photos for WBG

The Record of Decision is being prepared for Winklepeck Burning Grounds (WBG). A MK-19 Grenade Machinegun Range has been constructed on WBG and is now operational. Three of the four firing lanes have been constructed. The fourth lane, Lane 1, will be constructed once the remedial action at Pads 61, 61A, 67, and 70 is completed.

Six High Priority AOCs
Photos for Six High Priority AOCs

• RVAAP-01 Ramsdell Quarry Landfill
• RVAAP-02 Erie Burning Grounds
• RVAAP-04 Open Demolition Area #2
• RVAAP-12 Load Line 12
• RVAAP-16 Fuze and Booster Quarry Landfill/Ponds
• RVAAP-49 Central Burn Pits

RVAAP-01 Ramsdell Quarry Landfill

The proposed plan for soil and dry sediment at RVAAP-01 Ramsdell Quarry Landfill has been prepared and a public meeting was conducted on April 4, 2007.  This public meeting presented a recommended alternative of excavation and disposal of contaminated soil and dry sediment in the Quarry.  The record of decision and remedial action are pending.

RVAAP-02 Erie Burning Grounds

The proposed plan recommending no further action for soil and dry sediment at RVAAP-02 Erie Burning Grounds has been prepared and a public meeting was conducted on March 7, 2007.  The public comments were assessed and summarized in the record of decision.  The record of decision, which declared no further action was required for soil and dry sediment at this AOC, was signed by the U.S. Army and Ohio EPA in January 2008. 

RVAAP-04 Open Demolition Area #2

The proposed plan recommending no further action for soil and dry sediment at RVAAP-04 Open Demolition Area #2 has been prepared and a public meeting was conducted on March 7, 2007.  The public comments were assessed and summarized in the record of decision.  The record of decision, which declared no further action was required for soil and dry sediment at this AOC, was signed by the U.S. Army and Ohio EPA in January 2008. 

RVAAP-12 Load Line 12

The proposed plan for soil and dry sediment at RVAAP-12 Load Line 12 has been prepared and a public meeting was conducted on April 4, 2007.  This public meeting presented a recommended alternative of excavation and offsite disposal of contaminated dry sediment in the main ditch at Load Line 12.  The record of decision and remedial action are pending.

RVAAP-16 Fuze and Booster Quarry Landfill/Ponds

The proposed plan for soil and dry sediment at RVAAP-16 Fuze and Booster Quarry Landfill/Ponds has been prepared and a public meeting was conducted on April 4, 2007.  The selected alternative of excavation and disposal of contaminated dry sediment was documented in the record of decision signed by the U.S. Army and Ohio EPA in January 2008.  The remedial action is pending.

RVAAP-49 Central Burn Pits

A Non-Time Critical Removal Action was conducted in November 2007 to remove debris piles at RVAAP-49 Central Burn Pits. Additional debris pile removal was conducted in January 2008. Subsequent to the removal action, an addendum to the Remedial Investigation report was finalized and approved in July 2008.  A proposed plan presenting the recommended alternative for Central Burn Pits is pending. 

Study of 14 AOCs

The final site characterization report for 14 AOCs was approved in April 2007. The AOCs included are:

• RVAAP-06 C Block Quarry
• RVAAP-12 Load Line 12
• RVAAP-13 Building 1200
• RVAAP-19 Landfill North of Winklepeck Burning Grounds
• RVAAP-36 Pistol Range
• RVAAP-38 NACA Test Area
• RVAAP-39 Load Line 5
• RVAAP-40 Load Line 7
• RVAAP-41 Load Line 8
• RVAAP-43 Load Line 10
• RVAAP-45 Wet Storage Area
• RVAAP-46 Building F-15 and F-16
• RVAAP-48 Anchor Test Area
• RVAAP-50 Atlas Scrap Yard

The disposition of most of these sites will be addressed through a performance-based contract was issued this summer. The performance-based contract will include Remedial Investigations, Feasibility Studies, Records of Decision, and Remedial Designs as needed for these AOCs.

Facility-Wide Groundwater

Groundwater was sampled from wells across the facility in January, April and July. The quarterly sampling currently includes 137 wells. Groundwater sampling is planned for October 2008 and January 2009. In July the water level in each of the 237 wells across the facility was measured and each well inspected to identify any maintenance that might be needed. Brush was cleared and the lawn mowed around each well. The January 2008 groundwater report has been approved by the Ohio EPA and is currently being finalized.  The April 2008 report has been submitted as a draft to all stakeholders and is awaiting review comments.  The contractor is currently working on the preliminary draft of the July 2008 report.
Installation of six new deep wells is scheduled to be complete by summer 2010, as part of the work to be completed under the 2008 performance-based contract.

Facility-Wide Sewer Lines

An evaluation of explosives in the sewer lines across the facility is complete and a final report was issued in December 2007. This is a BRAC activity.

Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) - 18 Munitions Response Sites on the Installation

The Department of Defense (DOD) established the MMRP to identify and address defense sites known or suspected to contain unexploded ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), Munitions or Explosives of Concern (MEC), or Munitions Constituents (MC). The MMRP Site Inspection was conducted in October, 2007 and the Final Report was issued in May 2008.  This report describes the areas on the Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant site where MEC or MC might be located.  The Report was approved in July 2008.

The Time-Critical Response Action (TCRA) construction, consisting of the installation of a barrier system in Sand Creek, was completed in July 2008 (see photos below). The barrier is designed to prevent munitions washed into the creek at the Rocket Ridge Are (which is a demilitarized munitions disposal site within the Open Demolition Area #2), from migrating downstream past the barrier. The barrier system was constructed approximately 2,700 feet downstream of Rocket Ridge.  Regular maintenance of the system will begin in August. Maintenance includes removal of debris caught in the barrier and repair of the barrier when needed.

Disposal of Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC)

Demolition and disposal of Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) recovered and stored at the RVAPP from previous cleanup projects began in April and was completed by August 2007. This is a BRAC activity which has Ohio EPA oversight.