SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected EnvironmentErosion ManagementUSAG-HI conserves and manages soil resources on Oahu by managing for natural rates of runoff,erosion, and sedimentation. The Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) for Oahufor 2002 to 2006 identifies installation-specific goals and management objectives of the ITAM Programfor Oahu (U.S. Army Hawaii [USARHAW] 2001a). The Army-wide goal for ITAM is toachieve optimum sustainable use of training lands by inventorying and monitoring land condition, integratingtraining requirements with land capacity, educating land users to minimize adverse impacts,and providing for land rehabilitation and maintenance.The ITAM has four major component programs: Range and Training Land Assessment (RTLA),Land Rehabilitation and Maintenance (LRAM), Training Requirements Integration (TRI), and EnvironmentalAwareness. The RTLA Program is a long-term program that evaluates current land conditionsand trends on Army lands and the capability of those lands to support long-term multiple-use,including military training. Information gathered by this program is used to help prioritize potentialLRAM projects. Data collected by the program include topographic features, soil characteristics, andsurface disturbance, which are used to estimate soil erosion, ground cover, and disturbance and monitorland restoration projects.Soil erosion and sediment control is managed through the LRAM program projects, which consist ofstrategies and resource allocations for resting and repairing training lands on a rotational basis as wellas repairing damaged training areas as the need arises. LRAM seeks to stabilize soils and providelong-term vegetative cover to support military land use. The program involves using cost-effectivetechnologies, such as revegetation, erosion control structures, site hardening, blockades, and dust palliativesto prevent training site degradation, soil erosion, and excessive road damage. Routine roadmaintenance is a function of Directorate of Public Works (DPW); however, combat trails and rangeingress/egress roads are the responsibility of Range Maintenance and may be included in LRAM projects,including effective erosion control practices on roadways, which result in reduced future roadmaintenance needs. Hardening sites refers to the application of crushed rock, coral, and other materialto stabilize soil and minimize runoff. Minimization of impacts is achieved through institutional procedures,including the ITAM TRI program, ITAM Environmental Awareness Program, range regulations,and training policies provided by DPW, Environmental Division.Chemical Constituents in SoilsUSACE conducted a surface soil investigation at SMBR between November 8 and November 10,2002 (USACE 2002d). Samples were taken to collect data to establish baseline conditions for humanhealth assessments for range exposure. The investigation was not intended to be a comprehensivestudy of the distribution of contaminants on the ranges. The results of the investigation as they relateto concentrations of natural and introduced substances in soils are summarized in this section.The constituent concentrations detected in the soil investigation were compared to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s (USEPA) preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) for industrial soils (seeUSEPA 2007 for more information on PRGs). PRGs are not regulatory standards, but rather goals designedto be protective of health under a wide range of conditions. The guidelines for the use of PRGsallow users to adjust the exposure assumptions to better reflect site-specific conditions; although, thiswas not done for the 2002 soil investigation.The Army used the industrial soil PRGs to establish a basis of comparison for the concentrations ofcontaminants observed on the training ranges. These PRGs however, are based on exposure assumptionsthat are substantially higher than could be expected for military personnel using the applicablerange areas. Industrial soil PRGs assume adult outdoor worker exposures for a period of 25 years.February 2008 3–6 2/25th SBCT Final EIS