Location and Description: The Black
Hills Army Depot is located eight miles southwest of Edgemont in west central
Fall River County, South Dakota. The former
BHAD was constructed as a reserve depot in
1942 on 21,095 acres. The
facility was closed in 1967 and was transferred to the General Services Administration.
Approximately 15,000 acres were sold to the city of Edgemont in 1968, and the remaining
acreage was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service. Land use restrictions were attached to
parcels containing the three burning grounds and the chemical area.
Some of the former
officers’ housing is owned and occupied by private citizens, which now comprise much of the
town of Igloo. Local ranchers now use much of the property for grazing of sheep, cattle, and
American bison.
Problem and Response: The landowner has refused approval of the right of entry to
complete the selected soil remedy. The former BHAD includes Munitions and Explosives of
Concern (MEC), Chemical Warfare Material (CWM), and HTRW issues
Activities for 2015: Continue to pursue right of entry. Submit the draft and
draft final Remedial Action Completion Report for the four HTRW sites for regulatory review.
Conduct community relations activities, as needed. Secure a new project at AOC SS-04 to
address potential groundwater issues.
Issues and other information: The landowner has refused approval
of the right of entry paperwork to complete the selected soil remedy. In 1999, a field
investigation was conducted for the Omaha District by Baker Environmental at Operable Unit 2
Chemical Area.
Investigative derived wastes (IDW) were drummed and left on site pending
analytical profiling. To date, there are approximately 100 drums that are located “inside the
fence” that have not been disposed of in accordance with regulatory criteria. These drums are
on the property of John and Cindy Brunson. Numerous requests for right of entry have been
refused by the Brunsons over the years. A removal effort was performed in 2003 to dispose of
approximately 20 drums located outside of the fence. Drums containing IDW remain on the
property due to refusal of right of entry by the landowner.