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Home My WebLink AboutDSHW-2014-006418 - 0901a0688042c9d7April 24, 2014 Division of Solid snd Hazardous Waste APR 2 S 2014 Scott T. Anderson Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste Department of Environmental Quality PO Box 144880 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4880 RE: Kosmo Test Range ATK Launch Systems - Promontory Facility UTD009081357 ^ Dear Mr. Anderson, ATK Launch Systems, Promontory has prepared this report in response to your May 16, 2013 request for additional information on flare recovery operations at the Kosmo Test Range. This report summarizes information provided by personal communication with Division staff on March 12, 2014. Process Description Flare testing is conducted on a 5,370 acre site located approximately 20 miles west of the Promontory facility. ATK owns 1,695 acres at the site and either leases or has a right-of- way agreement to use the land with either the State of Utah or the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Both ground launched and air launched flares are tested at the site. Both types of flares use a deployment system which involves a parachute. Since 2006, nearly 3,000 flares have been tested at the Kosmo Test Range. During this period, approximately 168 flares have failed to deploy properly. How Does a Flare Become Lost? When ground launched or air launched flares are tested and the parachute fails to deploy properly, the flare impacts the ground at a high velocity and can penetrate into the soil to a significant depth. Typically a depression can be found at the point of impact which marks the location and facilitates recovery of the flare. Another failure mode is when air dropped flares encounter winds that were not forecast. To compensate for wind speed and wind direction, air launch flares are dropped from a location upwind of the landing zone. This offset is intended to compensate for drift as the flare descends slowly by parachute. If the parachute does not open, the flare will rapidly descend from the aircraft and impact the ground at a position significantly short of the landing zone. Flare Recovery Process Recovery operations follow every test event to collect surface debris from successful flares. Recovery teams search expected locations to find the unburned articles or entry holes. Unburned flares found on the surface are burned in place, using an Emergency Permit, and the residue is collected and disposed at the Promontory landfill. When flares April 24. 2014 Mr. Scott T. Anderson. Director Utah Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste penetrate into the soil, the entry hole is marked with high visibility stakes and the GPS coordinates are recorded. Due to the wet soil conditions at the site, excavation of buried flares can only occur during the driest period of the year. Flares that do not deploy properly impact the surface at velocities near 700 feet/second, and can penetrate 8 to 15 feet below the surface. Excavation begins near the entry hole and continues deeper until the flare is recovered. The Division requested ATK to provide information on the number of flares not recovered, possible locations of such flares and land ownership, public accessibility, and ATK's plan to recover the flares. Below are ATK's responses to each information request. 1. ) What is the total number of flares that have not been recovered and treated? Response: A total of eight flares have not been recovered and treated. 2. ) Where are the missing flares thought to be? Please provide a map showing these locations and the. test range boundaries. Refer to Table 1 and Figure 1. 3. ) What is the status of the land (ownership, under lease, etc.) where the missing flares are thought to be located? Response: The missing M278 flares are expected to be on ATK owned land. The missing LUU2 flares are expected on a part of the range that ATK leases from the State of Utah through the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. The location of the LUU19 flare is likely along a shoreline region south or southeast of the test range. 4. ) Is there public access to the locations of the missing flares? Response: The area is posted with signs that read "No Hunting or Trespassing. Hazardous Area - Patrolled. Violators Will Be Prosecuted." However, there are no controls on entrances. 5. ) What is ATK's plan to recover the missing flares? Response: ATK Test Operations personnel have developed a specific protocol using refined techniques and equipment to ensure flare components are recovered. During test events, personnel track each flare with theodolites and map locations of debris and/or unburned flares. After the test event, the data is used to conduct a grid pattern search of the landing zone and adjacent areas. During this search, personnel look for surface debris or entry points that might indicate the location of a test article that failed to function properly. During the summer, as soil conditions improve, a detailed April 24. 2014 Mr. Scott T. Anderson. Director Utah Division ot"Solid and Hazardous Waste area wide search is conducted to collect surface debris, and to find test articles that have not yet been recovered. Tracked excavation equipment is used to dig for flares buried in soft sediment. Tracked equipment is more agile in the soft soil conditions present at the site, which reduces the time needed to travel to excavation sites. Finally, subsurface detection technologies are used to help locate articles during the excavation process. These methods have resulted in successful recovery of 160 test articles since 2006 and will be utilized for future search and recovery efforts. Furthermore, ATK Test Operations personnel continually improve upon the recovery protocol and will change practices as better techniques and/or equipment become available. If you have any questions, comments or need additional information, please contact Jason Wells at 435-863-6895. George Gooch Manager, Environmental Services C: Jeff Vandel, DSHW Keith Larsen, Bear River Health Department Jennifer Hansen, State Lands Sincerely, Table 1. Location Summary Flare Type Coordinates Comments Footnote M257 +41° 41'58.10",-112° 46'2.80" Exact location known M278 +41° 42' 26.53",-112° 46' 4.66" Exact location known M278 +41° 41'59.4",-112° 46' 23.6" Exact location known M278 41° 42' 31"N, 112° 46' 00"W General location M278 41° 42' 31"N, 112° 46' 00"W General location LUU2 41° 41'49.96" N, 112° 50' 13.02"W General location LUU2 41°41'52.00"N, 112°48'47.00"W General location LUU19 41° 29' 08.53" N, 112° 40' 30.16"W Estimated location Footnote: 1. Located on ATK property; two recovery efforts have been attempted, but the test article was not found; the flare either burned on impact or penetrated greater than 15 feet below the surface. 2. General location on ATK property where a specific soil penetration location was not identified. 3. Estimated location; the property ownership is not known; the trajectory of the air launched flare was significantly impacted by wind, and the location is estimated. April 24, 2014 Mr. Scott T. Anderson, Director Utah Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste ATK Figure 1. Ownership Boundaries of Kosmo Test Range - If7 J / i ATK owned BLM BLM mmm BLM r State Lease