&EPA Camp Minden Site

Environmental Protection Removal Action

Agency		

Camp Minden - Explo Systems, Inc. Removal Action
Webster Parish, Louisiana	November/December 2015

This Fact Sheet will tell you about:

Current Actions

•	Future Actions

•	Past Actions

•	Site Timeline

•	For More Information...

Contacts

The safety of the public is our most important
consideration. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) strongly believes that
public engagement makes for better informed
decisions—both for the EPA and for the
community. The EPA remains committed to
finding ways to increase the involvement of local
officials and the community in the remedy as we
move forward in addressing the cleanup actions at
Camp Minden.

Current Actions

Foundations for the Contained Burn System
(CBS) are being prepared at Camp Minden. The
crews have been preparing the soil, framing the
slabs, and pouring the concrete. Roads on the
Camp are also being surveyed and widened to
allow for the delivery of the contained burn
chamber. The 100 feet long and 23 feet in
diameter chamber is expected to be delivered to
the Camp after the first week in January. The
construction of the chamber and the various
components of the pollution abatement system
are on schedule. The components will soon be
delivered and staged for installation at the Camp.
The control room, air monitoring trailers, and
other support structures are also being assembled.

Future Actions

Future Actions include the assembly of the
CBS. Crews will connect the contained burn
chamber to the pollution abatement system
which includes a cyclone, catalytic reaction
chambers, bag house, and HEPA filter. When
the CBS is complete, the crews will run a
series of tests as they begin ramping up the
system. A Comprehensive Performance Test
will be performed according to the prevailing
regulations and that will set the parameters for
the CBS to meet the strict emission standards.

Air sampling and monitoring equipment will
be deployed throughout the area. This is in
addition to the Continuous Emission
Monitoring that will take place right at the
stack of the CBS. Once the system is
operating, Citizens can view the daily status at
the Geauxguard.com webpage.

Through a Technical Assistance Services to
Communities (TASC) contract, the EPA is
working to provide independent technical
expertise to the Citizens Advisory Group
(CAG).

The December Camp Minden CAG meeting
was moved to December 8, 2015, and will be
attended by TASC, the EPA (which will
include the former Louisiana Army Ammunition
Plant [LAAP] Remedial Project Manager), and
the Army National Guard Project Manager
(LAAP Site). During the meeting, there will
be a discussion regarding the request from the
CAG to sample water wells outside the post


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and collect surface water as it leaves the
installation boundary.

A late January 2016 community meeting is
being planned in conjunction with the CAG.
Public notice and postcards announcing the
meeting will be sent in early January.

Past Actions

On November 19, 2015, the EPA held
Environmental Workshop #5, Baseline Data
Results, at Camp Minden. The workshop gave
a detailed presentation of the air and soil
sampling results and air monitoring results
from the EPA's baseline assessment. The
samples that were taken came from various
locations on the Camp Minden Facility and at
six locations in the surrounding community.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ASTDR) and EPA Toxicologists
attended to address health issues.

The workshop also included a demonstration of
the EPA's Camp Minden interactive data website
that shows a map of the eight locations. Viewers
can zoom in and out, select a location on the
map, and see a list of links to the data from
that location (air monitoring data, air sampling
data, and soil sampling data), which can be
downloaded.

The EPA continues to attend the monthly
CAG meetings to ensure concerns from the
community are addressed, and to provide both
technical information and coordination of
general information on the path going
forward.

The EPA Region 6 Superfund Division
Director, Carl Edlund, attended the Camp
Minden CAG monthly meeting on October 12,
2015. He answered the CAG's questions and
concerns for future site activities.

Between April 2014 and August 2015,
respective Potentially Responsible Parties

General Dynamics and Orbital ATK removed
and properly disposed or recycled
approximately 3,070,809 pounds of explosive
materials, including Nitrocellulose, Tritonal
contaminated debris, St. Marks Pit Powder,
M-30 Propellant, Extracted Aluminum, TNT
and H6 explosive material.

Site Timeline

•	October 2012 - A bunker explodes at the
Explo site at Camp Minden

•	May 2013 - Explo secures all explosives
under Louisiana State Police order

•	August 2013 - Explo abandons materials at
Camp Minden

•	October 2013 - To protect the community,
EPA begins negotiations with the Potentially
Responsible Parties (PRPs)

•	April 2014 - Administrative Order of
Consent (AOC) is signed with the
commercial PRPs

•	October 2014 - AOC signed to address M6
and CBI

•	December 2014 - Camp Minden Website
goes live

•	December 2014 - Community Meeting

•	January 2015 - Minden Dialogue
Committee formed

•	February 2015 - 1st Alternative Remedy
Meeting for Minden Dialogue Committee

•	March 2015 - 2nd Alternative Remedy
Meeting for Minden Dialogue Committee

•	March 2015 - Minden Dialogue Process
Facilitators' Report released

•	April 2015 - Environmental Workshop #1,
Air Monitoring

•	April 2015 - Environmental Workshop #2,
Response Preparedness

•	May 2015 - Began collection of background
environmental data


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May 2015 - Public Announcement of
alternative remedy and contractor

May 2015 - Citizen's Advisory Group
Meeting

May 2015 - LMD began the best and final
negotiations with the contractor

May 2015 - Public Meeting: Contained
Burn System

June 2015 - Contract Award

June 2015 - Public Meeting

July 2015 - Work Plan submitted to the
EPA

August 2015 - Environmental Workshop #3,
Work Plan and Sampling Plan

September 2015 - Environmental Workshop #4,
LAAP Groundwater Discussion

October 2015 - Carl Edlund met with the
Citizen's Advisory Group

November 2015 - Established TASC contract
for the Citizen's Advisory Group

November 2015 - Environmental Workshop #5,
Data Results

For More Information...

If you would like more information about
Camp Minden, visit our website at
http://www2.epa.gov/la/camp-minden.

You can also review copies of information at:

Webster Parish Library

521 East and West Street
Minden, LA 71055
318.371.3080

Doyline Branch Library

333 Main Street
P.O. Box 8
Doyline, LA 71023
318.745.3800

Contacts

Citizens can call 800.887.6063 during normal
business hours (9 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays) or
send an e-mail to our dedicated mailbox
r6_camp_minden@epa.gov.

All inquiries from the news media should be
directed to the EPA Region 6 Press Office at
214.665.2200 or by email to
R6press@epa.gov.


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&EPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 6

1445 Ross Ave. (6SF-VO)
Dallas, TX 75202


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