Guidance Document: Surface Soils Sampling for Munitions Residues in Military Live Fire Training Ranges: Canadian Protocol

• Main Authors: Thiboutot, Sonia, Ampleman, Guy, Brochu, Sylvie, Poulin, Isabelle, Marois, Andre, Gagnon, Annie
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: AMMUNITION; Ammunition and Explosives; CANADA; CHARACTERIZATION; CONTAMINATION; EXPLOSIVES; FOREIGN REPORTS; GROUND WATER; METALS; MILITARY TRAINING; MUNITION CONSTITUENTS; PROPELLANTS; RANGE AND TRAINING AREA; RANGES(FACILITIES); SAMPLING PROTOCOL; Soil Mechanics; SOIL SAMPLING STRATEGIES; SOIL TESTS

This document represents a comprehensive site characterization guidance addressing the determination of the concentration of munitions constituents in military training range surface soils. It is based on more than 15 years of multidisciplinary research dedicated to the study of the source, dispersion, fate and transport of munitions constituents. Energetic residues and metals are heterogeneously distributed over military training ranges as particles of various sizes, shapes, and compositions. The sampling strategy was designed to address the compositional and distributional heterogeneities and to obtain representative mean soil concentrations in area where munitions constituents are expected, or decision units. The sample treatment, processing and analysis were also carefully studied and optimized. Most munitions constituents are deposited on the surface, with the highest measured concentrations at firing positions, near targets, at low-order or cracked UXO vicinity and where demolition activities are performed. This report summarizes the sampling strategies recommended for various types of ranges and covers the safety aspects related to sampling in UXO contaminated lands, the sampling equipment, sample processing and analysis. This protocol was developed during investigations on active ranges and primarily addresses potential surface source zones from which munitions residues could be migrating into surface and groundwater systems.