Spring Valley, Washington, DC
Formerly Used Defense Site


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4825 Glenbrook Road
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March 2012- USACE contractor backfilling soil after digging an investigative trench at a metallic anomalous area identified beneath the roadway near the Watkins Building on the American University campus.


Spring Valley Project Monthly Update
April 2012
(Posted May 8, 2012)


This monthly Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site project summary is provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, as part of its ongoing efforts to make information regarding the neighborhood investigation more accessible to community members, elected officials, Restoration Advisory Board members, and other interested stakeholders. Specifically, the monthly update is produced to provide those who follow the project with a current snapshot of regulatory partnering, planning and field activities, and is not designed to provide historical information or an overview of the project. Those individuals interested in broader project information, or who have follow-up questions regarding this update, are invited to contact our Community Outreach Team at 410-962-0157. You may also contact our project regulatory partners, James Sweeney (DDOE) at 202-535-2289 or Steven Hirsh (US EPA) at 215-814-3352.


Groundwater Study

  • In April, USACE collected a water sample near Sibley Memorial Hospital for isotopic analysis. A water sample was also collected at American University in March 2012 from an existing well where elevated levels of perchlorate have previously been detected. Both water samples are currently being processed by an independent laboratory and will be analyzed using perchlorate isotopic analysis. The isotopic analysis results for the two areas will be compared to see if there are indications that the two plumes have a similar perchlorate isotope ratio. Perchlorate is comprised of chlorine and oxygen, and specific isotope ratios of these elements can reveal information about the perchlorate source.
  • The March 2012 sampling results from the two new deeps wells, one on the 4800 block of Glenbrook Road NW and one on the 4900 block of Rockwood Parkway, and the new well on the American University campus in front of Kreeger Hall are currently being processed. At the end of May, the interagency regulatory Partners, USACE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region III, and District Department of the Environment, will review the validated sampling results from these efforts and the quarterly sampling effort (from May 2011-February 2012) to determine the path forward for the Spring Valley Project Groundwater Program, including potential future sampling needs.


4825 Glenbrook Road NW

  • The Project Team is still awaiting the final signature on the Decision Document which authorizes funding for work to begin. Upon final signature, the Decision Document, as well as the supporting fact sheet will be posted to the Spring Valley project website (see link below). The Demolition and Disposal Plan, which describes how the house at 4825 Glenbrook Road NW will be removed and how the debris will be handled, will also be posted with the Decision Document. Once authorization is received, hard copies of these documents that summarize and highlight the next steps, will be available at the Spring Valley Information Repository at the District’s Tenley-Friendship Branch Library.
  • The Remedial Design and Remedial Action Work Plan is still being developed. USACE is currently forecasting completing a final work plan in mid-summer. This Work Plan details how the cleanup alternative selected in the Decision Document will be implemented after the removal of the house at 4825 Glenbrook Road NW. USACE will present an preliminary overview of the draft Remedial Design and Remedial Action Work Plan at the Restoration Advisory Board Meeting on May 8th. Details will include: designation of high and low probability excavation areas; and the anticipated schedule of the cleanup process from removal of the house to site restoration.

 


Looking ahead to April and May: 4825 Glenbrook Road CERCLA Process

  • The Decision Document is expected to be signed and authorized by May. Upon final signature, the Decision Document, as well as the supporting fact sheet will be posted to the Spring Valley project website (see link below). The Demolition and Disposal Plan which describes how the house at 4825 Glenbrook Road will be removed and how the the debris will be handled, will also be posted with the Decision Document. Hard copies of these documents that summarize and highlight the next steps, will be available at the Spring Valley Information Repository at the Tenley Friendship Branch Library.

  • The Remedial Design and Remedial Action Work Plan will tentatively be finalized in May 2012. This Work Plan details how the cleanup alternative selected in the Decision Document will be implemented after the removal of the house at 4825 Glenbrook Road. USACE expects to present details of the Work Plan at the Restoration Advisory Board Meeting on May 8th.


Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)

  • The next RAB meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 7 p.m. There will be two RAB requested presentations this month: Risk and Biology of Arsenic presented by RAB member Dr. Lee Monsein, and the National Park Service Right-of-Entry Constraints presented by USACE legal counsel. The RAB meets on the second Tuesday of each month (with the exception of August and December) at St. David's Episcopal Church, 5150 Macomb Street, NW.



Communication and Contact

Click here to view the Corps'pondent newsletter.
For contact information, click CONTACT US.

 

Updated: 08-May-2012