Munitions at Hawaii Ordnance Reef

Munitions at Hawaii Ordnance Reef



March 2007 - Preliminary data from 
a study of military munitions dumped in the sea off the west 
coast of Oahu 60 years ago show they pose no immediate danger 
to the public or the environment. Nine clusters of munitions 
not previously identified were found near shore in addition to 
about 2,000 munitions found in the area by U.S. Army divers in 
2002. 
Requested and funded by the Department of Defense, DoD, the 
study was conducted in response to the concerns of local 
communities. Scientists from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, the University of Hawaii, 
and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources 
participated. 

The University of Hawaii research vessel Klaus Wyrtke heads 
out to the study area. 
For two weeks in June 2006, scientists combed an area of five 
square nautical miles off Pokai Bay, just offshore of the town 
of Waianae, known locally as Ordnance Reef. This reef lies in 
water approximately 10 to 70 meters (40 to 225 feet) deep. 
The survey team deployed a remotely operated vehicle and 
trained scuba divers to collect water, fish and sediment 
samples for analysis by scientists at the University of Hawaii 
and two independent laboratories. They used seafloor mapping 
and imaging equipment to determine the boundary of the 
munitions area and the presence of explosives and metals. 
Ninety-six sediment samples and 49 fish were collected and all 
were analyzed for metals. All of the fish and a portion of the 
sediment samples were also analyzed for explosives. Water 
samples were collected and processed for salinity, dissolved 
oxygen, pH and temperature. 
The survey verified the presence of munitions ranging from 
small arms projectiles to large-caliber artillery projectiles 
and naval gun ammunition. About 100 previously undiscovered 
munitions were found in nine clusters near shore. 
No explosives or related compounds were detected in the fish 
samples taken during the survey. With the exception of copper, 
metal levels in sediment samples from the study area were low 
overall. 
Naval ammunition found on Ordnance Reef 
Most munitions were covered with coral growth and provided 
some of the only refuge for fish on the otherwise uncolonized 
hard bottom, said Ordnance Reef survey chief scientist Michael 
Overfield, a marine archaeologist with NOAA's National Marine 
Sanctuary Program. 
"We weren't able to establish a total count because of the 
condition of the munitions," Overfield said in a media 
briefing by teleconference. "They are covered in coral and 
blended into the environment out there, which is teeming with 
sea life," he said. "We didn't want to disrupt the corals to 
see how many munitions were underneath." 
The munitions were found in depths ranging from 24 feet to the 
maximum depth of the study area, 300 feet. Scientists did not 
detect the presence of the explosives cyclonite, RDX, 
trinitrotoluene, TNT, or tetryl during the sampling effort. A 
related munitions compound, dinitrotoluene, DNT, was detected 
in four sediment samples - three near munitions and one that 
is not associated with munitions. 
Munitions found on Ordnance Reef 
J.C. King, assistant for munitions and chemical matters with 
the U.S. Army, said the military will "work closely" with 
federal agencies, Hawaii state agencies and local communities 
to determine what to do next, but that no immediate cleanup is 
planned. 
"The final report is now being analyzed by government and 
military agencies," said King. "Once their analyses are 
complete we will understand better what the data means and 
what response might be required. We have asked for their 
assessments to be provided by the end of next month. We will 
finish our process by late summer." 
The Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, 
the Navy Environmental Health Command, and the Defense 
Department's Ordnance Security and Safety Agency are among the 
military divisions reviewing the report. 
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances will be working with 
the military on assessing potential risks and validating the 
military assessment, said King. 
Overfield and King both said it is safe to fish, to swim, and 
to dive on Ordnance Reef. "These munitions have been there for 
more than 60 years," said King, who is a diver. 
King said the Defense Department is required by Congress to do 
an inventory of munitions dump sites in U.S. waters 200 miles 
off the coasts of the USA and territories by 2009. Military 
analysts are now assessing the precise locations but King said 
two will be in the Hawaiian islands, two will be in Alaska, 
one in the Atlantic, and one in the Pacific. 

Naval Station Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu 

He said one of the Hawaiian locations is probably going to be 
just south of Pearl Harbor. This summer, based on funds 
obtained by Senator Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, King 
said University of Hawaii scientists are looking at a site 
south of Pearl Harbor yet to be defined, where chemical 
munitions were disposed. 
Chemical munitions were dumped off Pearl Harbor in several 
places, King said - one 10 miles out, one five to six miles 
out, and one just two miles out in water 1,500 feet deep. 
"Mustard agent was found in 1999 just south of Pearl Harbor in 
very deep water," King said. 
"The Waianae work gives us a basis of understanding," he said. 
"Whether the Waianae survey will be used is yet to be 
decided." 
At the time the munitions were dumped at Ordnance Reef and 
elsewhere, it was common practice and was not illegal. From 
the early 1700s, it was acceptable to use the ocean to dispose 
of munitions, King explained. In 1971, Congress passed a law 
against munitions disposal at sea. 
The Defense Department has its own Three Rs that the members 
of the public should know when encountering munitions 
underwater or anywhere else, said King. They are - Recognize, 
Retreat, and Report to 911 so that specially trained military 
personnel can respond to the situation. 





 

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