Waianae to hear Army on ordnance
The neighborhood board will hear a response to its demand for cleanup
The Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board has set a special meeting for tonight so military officials can address its demand for immediate cleanup of all munitions in nearby coastal waters.
Tad Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for environmental, safety and occupational health, will lead the discussion on a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that found no immediate danger to the public from the more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition found at Ordnance Reef.
Davis said yesterday in a written statement that the decision on how to respond to the military munitions found at Ordnance Reef "will not be unilateral, but one made in collaboration with federal and state agencies and affected local communities."
Mike Overfield, representing NOAA, will present an overview of the study.
The explosives safety-risk evaluation will be presented by Barry Willmington of the Army Technical Center for Explosives Safety. The health-risk evaluation will be explained by David Reed from the Army Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Medicine.
Eric DeCarlo, University of Hawaii oceanography research professor, will discuss the study's section on sediment and water sampling.
The NOAA study, released two months ago, surveyed Ordnance Reef between May 28 and June 10, 2006.
More than a dozen previously undetected munition clusters were found during a sonar survey and sea-floor mapping. Nine were found near the shoreline in shallow waters ranging from 24 to 60 feet in depth. Five other clusters were found in deeper waters near the area where the Army Corps of Engineers discovered most of the munitions five years ago.
During that survey, conducted in 2000 by the Army Corps of Engineers, more than 2,000 conventional or nonchemical munitions were identified.
Last month, the Waianae board sent Lt. Gen. John Brown, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, a letter demanding "a coherent strategy and plan for cleaning up the munitions and tangible responses to the legitimate concerns this community has voiced on an array of venues over the past 18 months."
Leeward residents were not impressed by the NOAA survey. They said they believe the fish caught there should not be eaten.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Nanaikapono Elementary School, 89-153 Mano Ave.