AEM completed an extensive soil investigation at multiple firing ranges at Camp Bonneville, Washington, for the U.S. Army Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Division. This investigation was completed to support the Army’s efforts in transferring this property to the local reuse authority. The investigation included a number of firing ranges and two possible demolition areas. Camp Bonneville is located in southwestern Washington and comprises approximately 3,840 acres. The Army used Camp Bonneville for live fire of small arms, assault weapons, artillery, and field and air defense artillery between 1910 and 1995. Because of the potential for unexploded ordnance (UXO), a UXO specialist was required to clear sample locations and ensure the safety of field team members.

The investigation required the collection of approximately 1,700 soil samples and analysis of these samples for lead, explosive residues, picric acid, perchlorate, and pentaerythritol tetranitrate. The data were then compared to Washington Department of Ecology cleanup requirements.

AEM finalized several work plans and developed others as necessary for review and approval by the Washington Department of Ecology and U.S. Army personnel. Upon approval, AEM mobilized field teams to the site and began the process of collecting the required samples.

To reduce the overall schedule, AEM developed field forms and input these forms into handheld Portable Digital Assistants (PDAs). Use of this hardware simplified data collection in the field and allowed daily electronic transfer of the data to the corporate office. Once received, data from the field were transferred to other software programs for compilation and assessment. Laboratory analytical data were received and summarized in an electronic format for ease of compiling the data into a final report.

In addition to the soil investigation program, AEM was required to closely coordinate all activities with the various stakeholders, including the Army BRAC Environmental Coordinator, the Washington Department of Ecology, U.S. EPA Region 10, the Forces Command (FORSCOM) BRAC Environmental Manager, the FORSCOM BRAC Chief, the Contracting Officer Representative, the Guaranteed Fixed Price Remediation Program Manager, and the U.S. Army Environmental Center (USAEC). AEM was also required to participate in and support the Army BRAC Environmental Coordinator with community meetings.