SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencesrequirements are outlined on the permit. Any soil or groundwater removed from the work site shall becontainerized in approved containers (specified in 49 CFR 178.500). Soil and groundwater shall notbe removed from any part of the installation without written authorization from a duly appointedUSAG Alaska representative.If contaminated soils, drums, unexploded ordnance or unusual debris are found on or around the worksite, the agency or contractor shall stop work immediately and notify the local Range Control Officerand Public Works Environmental Office. Work at this site will be suspended until Range Controlclears the area. Contaminated soils or groundwater must be tested, stockpiled for removal, and takenoff-site for remediation as soon as possible based on funding availability. All military units using thesites will be required to possess and have available appropriate spill response materials for the typesand quantities of hazardous materials/substances they may transport. All spills/releases at DonnellyTraining Area or Fort Richardson will be reported to Fort Wainwright or Fort Richardson’s FireDepartment and Environmental Departments, respectively. The USAG Alaska EnvironmentalDepartment will make the appropriate notifications to the Alaska Department of EnvironmentalConservation (ADEC). All appropriate remediation measures will be accomplished.5.3.2.3 Impacts from Live-Fire TrainingSignificant Impacts Mitigable To Less Than SignificantImpact 3: Soil Erosion and Compaction from Munitions Impact. A larger number of Soldiers woulduse existing and new ranges for live-fire training on FRA and DTA. There would be a correspondingincrease in the total number of rounds fired, as well as increased vehicular traffic. While some livefiretraining would occur in existing impact areas and the frequency of weapons training is notexpected to increase, other training would occur on the new ranges and the intensity of the trainingevents at existing ranges would increase. The 2/25 th SBCT would train at the DTA BAX, and thoughuse of the BAX would increase, the range would be operated within design parameters and annual usedays would not be exceed. Surface disturbance caused by munitions impact would result in largerareas of bare ground than observed under current conditions. Munitions detonation in designatedimpact areas in the summer can directly create craters and remove patches of vegetation, whichnormally protect soil from erosion by slowing runoff, intercepting raindrops before they reach the soilsurface, and anchoring the soil. Compaction in the craters caused by larger ordnance explosions canalter the permeability and water-holding capacity of the soils and harden silty clays affecting theability of vegetation to recover in those areas. These direct impacts indirectly create large areas ofbare ground and exposed soils that are susceptible to wind and water erosion, which can indirectlycause large-scale removal and redeposition of soils, gullying, or unstable slopes in areas of steepslopes and rapid runoff. Although weapons training events would be periodic, long-term impacts areexpected because soil disturbance typically requires time and effort to amend.Regulatory and Administrative Mitigation 3: Implementation of standard BMPs, as well asrevegetation and other land restoration projects implemented by the LRAM, TRI, and SRA programsof the USARAK INRMP and ITAM annual work plan would reduce these impacts to less thansignificant.February 2008 5-75 2/25th SBCT Final EIS