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Camp Minden Baseline Air and Soil Quality Assurance Sampling Plan

Revised May 6, 2015

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this sampling event is to collect air and soil data on and around Camp Minden prior to any activities in order to establish baseline conditions in onsite and offsite areas. This will allow for the comparison of data collected after the operations have started and at the completion of the project.

APPROACH:

Data will be collected using direct read detectors and laboratory analyses.

LOCATIONS:

Onsite locations will be located around the projected operational area.  Offsite locations, with input from local and state officials, will be located based on:

  • Points around Camp Minden
  • Population Centers
  • Electric Power Availability (240V)
  • Site Security
  • Site Access

SOIL SAMPLING:

The samples will be sent to a laboratory and analyzed for a broad spectrum of potential contaminants.  This includes heavy metals, volatile organic and semi-volatile organic compounds.  The propellants at Camp Minden do not contain chlorine, therefore, dioxins and furans are not expect from the destruction of the material.  However, due to local concerns, baseline dioxin and furan samples will be collected.

AIR DATA:

Monitoring

Detectors will be deployed to directly measure the following parameters: particulate matter or dust, nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxides (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) and Carbon dioxide (CO2).

Sampling

Volatiles - Samples of air will be collected in special containers over a 24 hour time period and sent to a lab to for organic compounds.  This is expected to be a small amount due to the chemical makeup of the propellants.

Particulates – Samples will be captured on filter media and sent to the laboratory.  Two sizes of particulates will be captured.  The larger size is designated as PM10, meaning that the particulates are smaller than 10 micrometers (µm), and larger than 2.5 µm.  Smaller than the width of a human hair, this size is considered respirable.  The smaller size includes particulate matter smaller than 2.5 µm.  These particles are so fine that it takes an electron microscope.  It is expected that this sample will take 24-hours to collect.

Semi-volatiles – Samples will be collected on a foam “filter”.  The M6 propellant contains dinitrotoluene, dibutlyphthalate and diphenylamine.  Clean Burning Igniter is similar but without the dinitrotoluene.  This sampling will capture the residual of these chemicals, and combustion products.  To obtain a representative sample, it will also require a 24-hour collection period.  This technique will also be used to collect dioxins and furans in the air.  A larger volume of air needs to be sampled for these compounds and a 48-hour collection time is needed.

The turnaround time for the laboratory along with analytical interpretation is expected to be at least four to five weeks before data is available from this baseline sampling.

DETECTION LEVELS: 

The detection levels for each technique and each chemical compound is selected to provide confidence that the data is valid at the soil or air quality standard.

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