Critical Cleanup
Target

Gerstle River
Test Site

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.