On Jan. 5, 1993, while digging a utility trench in the Spring Valley section of Washington, D.C., a contractor unearthed buried military ordnance. The U.S. Army Technical Escort Unit initiated an emergency response action that resulted in the removal of 141 ordnance items (43 suspect chemical items) from a burial pit.
Historical records search
On Feb. 3, 1993, the Corps began a search of historical records documenting the activities of the American University Experimental Station (AUES), which was active in the 1917 to 1920 timeframe. Adjacent to AUES was Camp Leach, an area that was used for troop training in trench and chemical warfare techniques. The historical search indicated that approximately 661 acres in the northwest section of Washington, D.C., were used during World War I (WW I) by the U.S. Government for research and testing of chemical agents, equipment, and munitions. Today, the Spring Valley neighborhood encompasses approximately 1,600 private homes, including several embassies and foreign properties, as well as the American University and Wesley Seminary.
While historical records indicate that much of the materials used at AUES were sent to other military installations after operations ceased, some items were buried. The archival search report documented the history of the area, including the evaluation of where munitions and other items were stored, expended or disposed of onsite. This information was obtained through the review of written records and the analysis of maps and aerial photos, and helped the Corps focus their site characterization. More than 50 Points of Interest (POIs) were identified based on the archival search report. The POIs represented areas where chemical contamination would most likely exist, if present. Spring Valley POIs were prioritized, and many were investigated using geophysical surveying equipment, along with some chemical sampling of soil. It is unlikely that any historical records evaluation would identify 100 percent of the munitions burial locations. Certain records would not have been kept, and others were certainly lost or destroyed over the years. Nonetheless, a records evaluation does provide a logical first step in trying to prioritize areas for investigation and the best use of limited funds.