The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District has finalized the Final Groundwater Remedial Investigation report for the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS). The Remedial Investigation report details the groundwater investigation findings to include a review of all the data collected to determine the nature and extent of groundwater contamination in Spring Valley from past Army activities. The Groundwater RI also includes a Human Health Risk Assessment, which evaluates risk to human health using different potential exposure scenarios for groundwater, including the potential future use of groundwater as a drinking water source. As a reminder, Spring Valley groundwater is not currently used as a drinking water source.
Click here to download the main report without appendices.
Click here to access the report's large appendices (the Spring Valley Extranet Site).
The full report, including the appendices, is also located in the Information Repository at the Tenley-Friendship Branch Library, located at 4450 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.
The Groundwater RI concluded that there is no unacceptable risk posed by groundwater under the current land use (as it is not used for drinking water). Perchlorate and arsenic in groundwater were detected at levels that would pose a risk if groundwater was used as a drinking water source in the future in the area near Kreeger Hall on American University and near the Glenbrook Road disposal areas. The study refers to the area where these detections were as Exposure Unit 2, and a map showing the concentrations of arsenic and perchlorate detected over the course of monitoring at these wells is available by clicking here. A Feasibility Study evaluated a range of alternatives that would address the risk posed by the potential future use of groundwater as a drinking water source. Based on the Feasibility Study, the Army Corps selected Land Use Controls (LUC) and Long Term Monitoring (LTM) as the preferred remedy.
Based on DOEE and the EPA policies to achieve drinking water standards in groundwater regardless of current or expected future use, DOEE and EPA believe that the final remedy for groundwater should have a goal to restore groundwater to drinking water levels, and therefore they do not concur with the Army’s approach to use land use controls with continued monitoring. The Army Corps and DOEE agreed to suspend the formal Dispute Resolution to discuss conducting additional groundwater data collection. A new round of groundwater sampling will begin this year in order to obtain more current information that will allow the Army Corps to evaluate if there are any significant changes in groundwater concentrations since the last sampling event (4 years ago).
After this sampling is completed, the Partners will meet to discuss the results and to determine the requirements for any future groundwater sampling.