Danger lies beneath dirt at military's old ranges

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South Carolina
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Danger lies beneath dirt at military's old ranges
Critics say government too slow to clean up buried munitions
Posted on Mon, Feb. 23, 2004

COLUMBIA - Clay and sand now cover old bombs and artillery shells once
used for military training during World War II.

But the dirt does little to blunt the danger the munitions pose, and
some critics say the Defense Department is not doing enough to clean up
the old military sites quickly.

South Carolina has 206 sites formerly used by the military. Cleanup
projects have been proposed or started at 39 sites, according to federal
reports. But the federal government provides little money for the work,
and the cleanup is slow.

Incidents of people being harmed by unexploded ordnance are rare. But
experts say injuries could increase as new homes and roads are built on
former ranges.

Liz Gilland, chairwoman of the Horry County Council, worries a tragedy
is waiting to happen somewhere on the Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range.
Several housing communities are planned for sections of the 10,500-acre
range between U.S. 701 and the Intracoastal Waterway, east of Conway.

"Even though we do have a lot of development in that area, we've had no
one hurt so far," Gilland said. "I'm most worried about the workmen who
dig the retention ponds and build the roadways."

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8018141.htm

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