Navy Sounds All-Clear for Solomons

A study of the Solomons Naval Recreation Center, once the site of a pistol range and a mortar range, has turned up no unexploded munitions, Navy officials say.

The revelation came at a public hearing at the Southern Community Center in Lusby, where Naval Facilities Engineering Command officials discussed the $1.4 million munitions removal program underway at the Solomons center.

The program, which is funded by the Navy, resulted from a 2001 directive by Congress to the Defense Department to identify and prioritize munitions sites, evaluate the hazards posed by remaining ordnance and organize a response.

The recreation center, which is open to all active and retired members of any branch of the military, is the Navy's largest outdoor recreation facility. It is also the first Navy site to undergo the initial review process since the directive was issued, said Monty Pugh, the program manager for installation and restoration at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

A 32-acre parcel in the southeast corner of the 300-acre recreation area is the focus of the inspection. It contains a former pistol range and mortar range and a landfill, and it will remain closed off while fieldwork is being conducted, which Pugh said should last through the end of the year.

He said research already has determined that there are no unexploded bombs on the site. He said further studies will determine whether there is contamination from chemicals that might have leaked from munitions used at pistol ranges or over-water explosive test areas.

"Likely, if there is contamination, it wouldn't be deeper than 12 inches" into the soil, he said.

Meeting on Roads

An information meeting on the Pegg Road Extension Study is scheduled for next Thursday at 6 p.m. in Meeting Room A at the Lexington Park Library, 21677 FDR Blvd.

St. Mary's County is conducting the study to determine the best alignment for an extension of Pegg Road that would connect routes 237 and 5.

The alignment begins at the existing Route 237-Pegg Road intersection and proceeds west to Indian Bridge Road. Two of the three alternatives include a further extension across St. Mary's River to the Route 5-Route 249 intersection.

The project is designed to alleviate traffic congestion in the Great Mills area and along Route 235. The extension is included in the August 2006 county transportation plan, which can be reviewed at http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/dpw/docs/transportationplan/LongTermReport-Adopted.pdf.

Ethanol's Kernel of Concern

As farmers plant more corn to meet the demand for ethanol -- touted as a greener alternative to gasoline -- the Chesapeake Bay could be confronting a serious environmental downside.