SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental ConsequencesHazardous Materials and Hazardous Waste. UXO could affect the construction of the proposedranges on SBMR and PTA. Construction would involve moving soils that could be contaminated withUXO from prior activities in the range ordnance impact area. Construction would be preceded byArmy-sponsored surface and subsurface clearance and if necessary followed by ordnance health andsafety monitoring during construction in order to reduce potential exposure and impacts from thisproject. Although UXO presents a significant impact, USAG-HI would follow proper abatementtechniques, which would maintain this impact to less than significant.Construction activities could involve lead exposure to workers in the form of lead-based paint. TheArmy will expand existing programs for lead-based paint to any activities that would affect olderstructures that had the potential use of lead-based paint throughout the installations.Ammunition use by the 4/4th IBCT would be similar to that of the historic use by the 2/25 th ID (L).The ammunition would be maintained and managed by the administration in accordance with federaland USAG-HI protocol, therefore creating no additional significant impact. All government personnelor government contractors accessing impact areas would continue to follow OSHA and Armystandards and guidelines to minimize health and safety impacts from exposure to any contaminants orordnance. The general public would be allowed in or near impact areas only at times and in groupsizes approved by USAG-HI Command. Army-trained and -certified personnel would escort thegeneral public at all times. Access is limited to only those areas deemed safe by appropriate USAG-HI personnel. Mitigation measures listed in the 2004 FEIS would be implemented. These standardmeasures would maintain impacts from hazardous materials and waste at a less than significant level.Wetlands. There is one regulated wetland on SBMR. The wetland, located near Mount Kaala, iswithin the Schofield Barracks Forest Reserve where no construction or training would occur;therefore, no impacts to wetlands at SBMR are expected. On KTA, training at the Combined ArmsCollective Training Facility (CACTF) would take place more than two miles away from Onion Pond,a regulated wetland, and no impacts are expected. One jurisdictional wetland is located at DMR. Thiswetland is outside of the area that will be used for maneuver training. No wetlands have beenidentified at PTA. SOPs and BMPs designed to minimize impacts to wetlands through stormwaterand erosion control would be followed, and no impacts are expected.Vegetation. New range construction at SBMR and PTA would occur. Habitats within the SBMR are,for the most part, disturbed natural and introduced landscapes. Activities in this area would mostlyaffect nonnative species adapted to stressed or nonnative environments. Nonnative vegetationcommunities and barren lava prevail in the areas of proposed construction at PTA. The majority ofthe training areas are nonnative vegetation and common native plants, primarily grasses and shrubs,which typically colonize denuded areas quickly and thoroughly. Impacts to vegetation from rangeconstruction and use of the new ranges would be less than significant.Maneuver training would occur on established roads or trails, as well as areas designated formaneuver training throughout the installations. Vegetation would not be expected to be affected bymaneuvers on existing roads and trails. Off-road mounted maneuvers would occur where they arealready existing and on SRAA and the Keamuku Parcel. Similar to the range construction sites, themajority of the maneuver training areas are nonnative vegetation and common native plants, primarilygrasses and shrubs, which typically colonize denuded areas quickly and thoroughly. Overall, impactsto vegetation from construction and training would be less than significant.Noxious Weeds. Ground-disturbing activities such as construction and training can introduce orspread invasive species and other weeds. Though the level of training and ground disturbance wouldFebruary 2008 5-189 2/25th SBCT Final EIS