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The Gerstle River Test Site near Fort Greely is a
19,000 acre area used by the Army for chemical and biological weapons.
Gerstle River flows into the Delta River, a tributary of the Tanana
River. The Gerstle River Test Site was acquired by the U.S. Army in
1952 for an indefinite period and used by the Dugway Proving Ground
for chemical and high explosives testing from 1954-1962. The Army's
Arctic Test Center used Gerstle River for surveillance testing of
chemical munitions from 1962-1967. In addition, the Delta Creek
watershed on Fort Greely adjacent to the U.S. Air Force Bombing Range
was also used for biological warfare materials testing from 1963-1967.
The following history of the chemical and
biological weapons tests on the Gerstle River test site is excerpted
from a formerly classified Army document:
"In 1954, Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) initiated a
comprehensive program for the surveillance testing of chemical and
biological materials in the five major environments. The Gerstle River
Test Site, located approximately 30 miles south of Fort Greely,
Alaska, was established as the Arctic Test Site. A chemical testing
facility was constructed at Gerstle River Test Site to accommodate the
environmental surveillance testing and dissemination testing of
chemical munitions. This structure was also utilized as a command post
and security post and has had at least one guard posted around the
clock since its construction. A chemical Arctic Test Activity was
established at Fort Greely in 1956 as a Class II activity which
reported directly to DPG. This activity consisted of two officers and
twenty-five enlisted personnel. In 1964, this activity was designated
the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center. In July 1976, the Arctic Test Center
was redesignated the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center.
From 1954 to 1962, a comprehensive Arctic
Environmental/Surveillance Program on Chemical Corps material was
conducted at the Gerstle River Army Test Site. Limited cold weather
dissemination testing of GB and VX was conducted in this area. Single
round, statically fired GB-filled munitions were tested in the winters
of 1955-56 and 1956-57. Six trials of VX-filled mines were conducted
in the winter of 1960-61.; each trial consisted of statically
functioning one VX-filled mine and one simulant-filled mine to test
dispersion characteristics in an Arctic environment.
When the U.S. Army was reorganized in 1962,
USATECOM was assigned the responsibility for the conduct of the CB
Long TermEnvironmental/Surveillance Program. The Chemical Arctic Test
Activity atFort Greelythen became a division of the Arctic Test
Center; DPG wasdesignated by USATECOM as the monitoring agency for the
conduct of this program.
In 1962, the Deseret Test Center (DTC) was
established with headquarters in Fort Douglas, Utah; DTC initiated
field testing at the Gerstle River Army Test Site in December 1962.
Liaison was achieved and maintained with Commander in Chief, Alaska,
Fort Greely, Arctic Test Center; and the State of Alaska Fish and Game
Department.
Testing was conducted by DTC in three general areas
at Fort Greely: (1) the Gerstle River Army Test Site, (2) the expanded
Gerstle River Test Site, and (3) the Delta Creek area.
The majority of testing at the Gerstle River Army
Test Site was with single round, statically fired, chemical munitions.
However, GB-filled 155mm howitzer shells were dynamically fired into
spruce forests. Simulant-filled and HE 155mm howitzer shells were also
fired into spruce forest and aspen forests to determine height of
burrst information for planning Devil Hole I and II. The only
dud/malfunctioned munition that was reported in all of the DTC testing
conducted at Gerstle River test areas was on this program; the
unlocated dud was a dynamically fired M107 155mm HE shell fired 28
August 1964. This was on the high angle height of burst test in an
aspen forest at grid location 9A vicinity. Significantly, all of the
test grids at the Gerstle River Test Site have been sampled and
declared free of residual agent hazard. Residual test munitions have
been disposed of and the munitions holding areas have been completely
closed.
Several large scale trials were conducted in the
expanded Gerstle River Test Site at grid locations 9, 10 (aspen grid
location), and 11 (spruce grid location). Statically and dynamically
fired agent GB munition dissemination trials were conducted in the
large aspen forest at grid location 9; included were some trials using
dynamically fired GB-filled 155mm howitzer shells. Agent VX trials
were conducted (July 1966) at grid locations 10 and 11; also included
were dynamically fired 155mm howitzer trials at grid location 10.
Blueberry Lake became a controversial subject
during the 1969/1970 period and to date is a sensitive issue. In the
winter of 1965, a number of chemical munitions were stored on the ice
of Blueberry Lake for ultimate disposal during the same year. For
unknown reasons, the shells were neglected and finally sank to the
bottom of the lake during the spring thaw. The incident became known
sometime in 1969 and DTC assisted Arctic Test Center in a project to
remove the shells from the bottom of the lake." (from the Installation
Assessment of Gerstle River Test Site, Department of the Army, Office
of the Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation
Restoration, December 1976).
The Army contends that the materials from the
chemical weapons tests were disposed in a "safe" manner, through
disposal in refuse pits or incinerated. They also claim that the
biological weapons test areas are "safe." Alaska Community Action on
Toxics notes that no independent verification of the Army's claims has
ever been made, nor have the disposal areas been sampled for hazardous
waste leakage. |
