Navy wants more testing at Dahlgren

Friday, July 27, 2007

Navy officials set up poster boards, continuously played a video and were on hand to answer the public’s questions at the La Plata Volunteer Fire Department station on Washington Avenue, but there were few takers.

The Navy must hold a round of public hearings between now and 2009 in order to obtain an EIS to increase the base’s laser operations and electromagnetic and microwave technology, said Stacia Courtney, spokeswoman for the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren.

Developing electromagnetic weapon technology will enhance the military’s ability to use electrical energy to accelerate projectiles to extreme velocities, Courtney said.

Kerry Lee Wagaman of Bryantown arrived early at the firehouse to peruse the information on the technology. Wagaman said he was interested in the technology because he worked at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head for 40 years developing torpedo propellants.

‘‘I was curious about what technology the Navy is pursuing,” he said while checking out a poster board.

Nancy and Mike MacNamara of Waldorf listened to several Navy experts explain what is being planned for the base. The couple said they support the base in its endeavors to fight the war in Iraq and keep the homeland safe from terrorist attacks.

‘‘I don’t think the expansion will have a large impact on the community,” Nancy MacNamara said. ‘‘The benefits of this technology for the military far outweighs any impact that will come with these changes.”

‘‘What the Navy is proposing is fine with me; it doesn’t bother me a bit,” added Mike MacNamara.

Ken Carkhuff of Mechanicsville said he was impressed with how the Navy is going out of its way to educate the public about upcoming changes proposed for the base.

‘‘It’s a very good presentation,” he said. ‘‘It’s critical for the military and the community to get together and talk about these issues. There’s got to be a dialogue between the Navy and the community. We all have to get along.”

The proposed activities will not make a lot more noise, Courtney said, referring to frequent weapons testing that takes place over the Potomac River across from Cobb Neck.

The proposed expansion would also enable the Navy to do more chemical and biological sensor testing to further the military’s capability to detect contamination on ships, Courtney said.

The Navy has been developing and testing biological and chemical weaponry since 1980, said Mike Purello, the head of Dahlgren’s chemical-biological defense division.

Development of electromagnetic technology on the base began in the 1940s, Purello said, and high-power microwave development and testing kicked off in Dahlgren in the 1960s.

The base employs 3,714 civilian workers and has 542 active-duty military, Courtney said. The annual civilian payroll is $303.2 million.

The Navy has a long way to go before the base can obtain the EIS, said Lane Willson, a U.S. Navy contractor with Earth Tech in Alexandria, Va., who is working on the expansion plans. The base must obtain the environmental documentation under the mandates of the National Environmental Policy Act.

The public is involved in everything about the NEPA process, he said, adding, ‘‘The federal government looks at everything Dahlgren intends to do and analyzes it for potential environmental impacts.”

Willson said the record would remain open on this round of the EIS process until Aug. 14. Then, all of the comments will be reviewed and a draft EIS will be developed in early 2009.

Another round of public meetings will be held in La Plata, Chaptico in St. Mary’s County and Colonial Beach, King George and Callao in Virginia, Willson said, and a final draft of the EIS will go to public hearing in late 2009.

‘‘This isn’t just for local comments,” Willson said. ‘‘The information is out there for the whole world to see. It [the NEPA process] isn’t an easy thing.”