We are providing an update on the Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to remove World War I–era debris from the areas around the AU campus and Spring Valley, which resulted from the U.S. Army research and chemical weapons testing in this region from 1917 to 1918.
Army Corps laboratory reports received August 10 confirmed the presence of mustard agent at 4825 Glenbrook Road, a work site adjacent to the main campus.
The current Army Corps project activity has included searching for World War I–era remnants and removing tainted soil on two currently unoccupied properties on Glenbrook Road owned by American University—4835 Glenbrook (the president’s house) and the adjacent property at 4825 Glenbrook. On Tuesday, August 4, the Army Corps work crew at 4825 Glenbrook found glassware and intact but open bottles while digging close to the back patio. Based on feedback from on-site monitoring equipment and an experienced member of the field crew, the Army Corps suspended work and moved to an emergency response mode to secure the property. They sent workers to the site with additional protections (hazmat suits and respirators) to close the hole, remove affected soil to sealed drums, and close the site until further notice. A guard has been stationed at the site 24 hours a day.
In addition, Army Corps suspended work at 4835 Glenbrook until further notice, and key AU offices (Facilities, Public Safety, and Risk Management) were notified to seek their assistance to ensure no AU personnel were working there.
The Corps will undertake a review of the current work plan for 4825 Glenbrook to determine what additional safety measures may be needed for work to continue at the site. Any changes to their work plan will be submitted for approval by U.S. and District government environmental health and safety regulators—including the Environmental Protection Agency and D.C. Department of the Environment—and by AU’s project science advisor, Dr. Paul Chrostowski. Their work will resume only after the appropriate safety precautions have been implemented.
The Army Corps is notifying neighborhood residents closest to the site. If you would like more information, check the Army Corps’ own site devoted to the Spring Valley project or AU’s Army Corps Web site. We will provide more information when it becomes available.
The university’s primary concern throughout this process is and has always been the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and members of the AU and surrounding communities. We believe that these measures will protect the health and safety of the community.
