Camp Edwards UXO

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

 December 22, 1997

Mike Jasinski
U.S. EPA
J.F.K. Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203

Army National Guard Readiness Center
NGB-ILEL ATTN: Lt. Colonel Richard Murphy
111 South George Mason Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22204-1382

Dear Mr. Jasinski and Col. Murphy:

In the December 19, 1997 Cape Cod Times, Captain Boggess, the Army's
representative on the Camp Edwards Impact Area Review Team, is quoted as
saying about the recent discovery of 500 buried mortar shells at Camp
Edwards: "We'll be working with the EPA to move relatively quickly after
the first of the year to get rid of them. Ideally the thing to do would
be
to destroy them at the post."

This munitions dump site is under a mile from the Forestdale Elementary
school and residential areas. Because of the risk of airborne
contamination
from open burning or open detonation of these explosives, not to mention
the shock of an explosion, we ask EPA to require the Army to either
dispose
of these munitions off-site, or, if this is not possible, to construct
an
enclosed, bomb-proof air filtration structure for the disposal of the
shells.

Upper Cape residents have been exposed to open burning and detonation of
Army munitions for the past sixty years. We assert our right to have a
say
in how this cleanup action is conducted. We demand protection from any
further exposure to Army munitions at Camp Edwards.

Signed,

Richard Hugus
Anne Marie Hocking
Jamie Kinney
Paul Zanis
Joel Feigenbaum

Members, Impact Area Review Team