Participatory Decisionmaking Based on Findings of Screening and Baseline Ecological Risk Assessments and Remedial Actions at the Former Fort Benjamin Harrison. B. Cornaby, D. McDaniel, and C. Hadden, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), 800 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830; P. Patel, SAIC, McLean, VA; R. Blume-Weaver, U.S. Army BRAC, Ft. BH BEC, Indianapolis, IN; L. Wright and J. Smith, IDEM, Indianapolis, IN; B. Jones and K. Mason-Smith, EPA (Region V), Chicago, IL; A. Atkins and L. Tannebaum, U.S. Army, CHPPM, Aberdeen, MD; and M. Litwin and S. Sobiech, U.S. FWS, Bloomington, IN
The twenty-one contaminated sites at the former Ft. Benjamin Harrison (a BRAC installation) near Indianapolis, IN, got reduced to 16 sites to 7 and finally to only 3 sites that actually require major remediation. This was achieved through a systematic process of site visits, screening risk assessments, baseline risk assessments, and the give and take of frequent communication about the application of policy. Through a 3-year process, the U.S. Army Base Realignment and Closure Office, Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), U.S. EPA in Chicago, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (CHPPM), Restoration Advisory Board, U.S. FWS, and SAIC worked their way through a number of technical and regulatory issues involved with land transfers. The presentation will show how a tiered or phased ecological risk assessment progressed through issues involving (1) a number of ecological receptors including the Indiana bat (a threatened and endangered species), birds and small mammals, deer, great-blue herons, (2) a number of different sites including rifle ranges, salvage yards, pesticide mixing areas, streams, and (3) a number of expectations including complete cleanup to background, no cleanup while preserving all habitat, and interim actions. A blend of science, regulatory responsibility, and common sense prevailed through this democratic process.
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