Norton to See Spring Valley Munitions Destruction System (4/13/2010)

Norton to See Spring Valley Munitions Destruction System

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today, Tuesday, April 13, at 1:30 p.m., will attend a briefing on and tour of the Explosive Destruction System (EDS) that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will use to dispose of munitions recovered during investigations at the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site (SVFUDS). During the tour, which will begin at 5201 Little Falls Road, N.W. (behind Sibley Hospital, off MacArthur Boulevard), the Congresswoman will be briefed on the overall destruction plans for the munitions and will have a chance to see the EDS first hand, as well as the safety measures that are in place to protect the workers and the community.

This briefing and tour are part of the Congresswoman's on-going efforts to clean-up the SVFUDS. Since 1993, the Corps has been clearing areas in the Northwest neighborhood where World War I munitions were buried by the Army. The Congresswoman has toured Spring Valley sites several times since munitions were discovered there in 1993, and has held a series of community meetings and congressional hearings to monitor progress and ensure completion of the clean-up. Last year, she got the Corps to release, for the first time, the full list of munitions and toxins found at the site over 16 years. Findings included three chemicals -- 75 mm Arsine projectiles, a 75 mm Mustard gas projectile, and a 75 mm Lewisite projectile -- among other projectiles and shrapnel.