[Ed. Note: Late yesterday afternoon, the National Park Service (NPS) published a news release regarding the canisters found in Fort Totten Park in April this year. NPS states the munitions are WWI-era munitions, it is possible more may be in the park, and NPS and US Army are seeking funding to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the park.]

News release copied from NPS website

NEWS RELEASE

Update on Fort Totten Park metal canister investigation

Area of the park remains closed

Date: November 9, 2023
Contact: Autumn Cook, 771-215-6954

WASHINGTON— An area of Fort Totten Park remains closed and fenced, and cement barriers and “no trespassing” signs will remain while the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Army further investigate the metal canisters, determined to be WWI-era munitions, found there in the spring. Based on investigations to date, the NPS and the Army have determined it is possible Fort Totten Park contains additional munitions.

The two metal canisters, found April 18, were discovered in the park after unauthorized work conducted by an adjacent property owner pushed approximately 10 feet of soil onto NPS land. One munition was a 75-mm projectile, approximately 3 inches in diameter and 11 inches long. The other munition was a Livens projectile, approximately 6 inches in diameter and 19 inches long. Initial assessment by Army experts indicated the 75-mm projectile did not pose a hazard and the Livens projectile contained an unknown liquid. After initial assessment, the items were transported to a nearby secure Federal facility. Both items were evaluated by the Army’s Materiel Assessment Review Board (MARB). The MARB evaluates munitions with an unknown liquid fill using data collected through non-intrusive assessment, historical records, and military expertise. Initial testing of the liquid in the Livens projectile was inconclusive, so it was taken to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Edgewood, Maryland, on Aug. 2, for additional testing. The additional testing indicated that the Livens did not pose a hazard.

To date, the additional testing determined:

• The 75-mm projectile contained only soil.
• The Livens projectile was filled 85 percent with liquid. The liquid was 99.9994 percent water and 0.0006 percent a commercial chemical called acetophenone. That concentration is equivalent to one grain of sand in one million grains. Acetophenone is a commercial chemical used in the perfume industry as fragrance in soaps and perfumes, as a flavoring agent in foods, and as a solvent for plastics and resins. It is not hazardous.

The NPS and Army are seeking funding to conduct a comprehensive investigation at Fort Totten Park.

More information regarding the use of the site during the construction of the Metrorail Greenline can be found at https://www.nps.gov/cwdw/learn/management/fort-totten-trail-construction.htm.

The safety of visitors and the community are of the utmost importance to the NPS and the Army. As such, the park will remain closed. It is important to stay out of the area while it remains closed. If you believe that you have encountered a munition, you should consider it dangerous. Learn and follow the 3Rs of explosives safety: Recognize—when you may have encountered a munition and the potential danger; Retreat—do not approach, touch, move or disturb it; Report—call 911 and notify local law enforcement of what you saw and where you saw it.

On May 8, ANC 5A circulated the announcement from National Park Service below

The National Park Service has announced today that it will install “No Trespassing” signs around an area of Fort Totten Park where two canisters were found a few weeks ago. Fencing and barriers will be installed around the area where the munitions were found until further testing can be completed. Unofficial trails through the woods are also closed off.  

The park is closed east of Fort Totten Drive, south of Gallatin Street/Metropolitan Branch Trail and north of Brookland Ave NE/Farragut St. A majority of Fort Totten Park is open for recreation, but visitors should stay on the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the grassy areas of the fort itself (near Fort Totten Dr. and Crittenden St. NE).  

We are still awaiting the results of testing of the two objects found.

From Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office. Note registration link contains space to submit questions in advance.

On his ANC website, ANC Commissioner Zachary Ammerman (5A09) has been detailing his efforts to work with the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to request that the National Park Service (NPS) do more extensive soil testing in Fort Totten Park. Congresswoman Norton sent a letter to NPS on February 7, 2023. WTOP also reported on Congresswoman Norton’s letter.

Recall, NPS informed ANC 5A and the Ward 5 Council office in 2017 that the agency was conducting soil testing in an area on the west side of Fort Totten Park that had been used for staging by Metro to build the green line in the 1990s. NPS stated it was testing “out of an abundance of caution” after being informed that fill dirt used to rehabilitate the land was brought from the toxic WWI testing site at Spring Valley. NPS said then that they were not too concerned about Fort Totten Park because of the topography of the land and because the staging area where the dirt was brought and eventually removed was not near any waterways or pedestrian access points. NPS later informed the ANC and the Ward 5 council office of the results of that testing. NPS distributed a community engagement handout to the ANC 5A commissioners and Ward 5 Council office but residents did not receive a copy. NPS also later sent the commissioners and the Ward 5 Council office a copy of the report but that information was not passed along to residents.

Fast forward to 2020 when NPS began construction of a formal trail between Gallatin and Galloway Street west of South Dakota Avenue. This is an area of the park east of the station tracks. NPS halted construction after contractors found an unexploded WWI shell along the informal path. NPS contracted for soil testing.

At the time, I noted that it was strange that a WWI shell would be found in an eastern part of the park when the staging that NPS had been concerned about was in the western part of the park.

As this testing was underway, residents and I reached out to Congresswoman Norton’s office and NPS about our concerns both during a quarterly NPS town hall meeting and over email. Congresswoman Norton’s office never addressed the questions during the town hall meetings and simply forwarded the questions to NPS. NPS said that there was no evidence that soil from Spring Valley was brought to the area on the eastern side of the park. NPS said that the soil was confined to the western part of the park and had been removed. Residents and I inquired exactly which areas of the park would be tested. Testing was confined to just the area along the planned trail (full study). NPS restarted construction on the trail in July 2021 after “negative test results.” NPS halted construction again after encountering infrastructure for the green line tunnel. NPS is now supposed to be finishing up design for an alternative location.

Local media reported on the possible connection between the ordnance on the trail and the Spring Valley site in 2022. Congresswoman Norton issued a press release about her “concern” over this discovery and held a meeting with the US Army National Corps of Engineers, Metro, and NPS. NPS stated during meetings that the testing found no evidence of any other unexploded ordnances nearby and found no contamination of the soil beyond that expected of parks in urban areas. NPS stated they would do more test kits and “monitor the area.”

ANC Commissioner Ammerman put together a timeline of events and requested of Congresswoman Norton’s office that NPS conduct more extensive testing. We will see how NPS responds to Congresswoman Norton’s request. What is clear is that this whole thing could have been dealt with properly a long time ago.

On November 16, 2022, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton held her quarterly National Park Service (NPS) town hall on zoom. Residents were able to submit questions in advance and also during the meeting. In the past, Congresswoman has published a list of answers from NPS to all of the questions received. I will share that once I receive it.

The major NPS park in Riggs Park is the Fort Circle Park (Fort Totten) that streches from Fort Totten Metro station east to the DC/Maryland line. It is part of the Rock Creek Park system. Julia Washburn, Superintendent for Rock Creek Park, provided answers about Fort Totten during the meeting.

I did not stay for the entire meeting because ANC 5A held its meeting the same evening. Fortunately several residents were able to get in questions about NPS parks in the neighborhood early in the meeting, so I do not think I missed too much.

I asked several questions ahead of time about Fort Totten Park. Answers provided by NPS during the meeting are below.

• Status of North Michigan Park-Fort Totten station pedestrian trail & keeping project website updated to inform residents of what is happening

NPS apologized for the lengthy delay of the pedestrian trail between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street NE that is supposed to connect North Michigan Park to Fort Totten Metro station. The project was delayed after discovery of an unexploded World War I ordnance. Following soil testing, NPS concluded there were no other hazardous materials. During the town hall, NPS described the shell as a “one-off,” but there were questions about what exactly NPS did to reach that conclusion. (In this post, I previously described what NPS said they sent to the ANC 5A commissioners about the soil testing earlier this year, which NPS forwarded to me after that meeting after I asked. This is the direct link to soil study they sent to me).

In any case, after that discovery and construction resumed, NPS contractors then hit the top of Metro’s green line tunnel. Now the project is still on pause so that Metro and NPS can determine whether the trail can be built and where it is safe to do so, NPS stated during the town hall. (They originally said that redesign would be done in November. After the town hall, I received an email from NPS with more information, which I shared in this post). They hope to issue a contract for redesign of the trail by end of this year or early 2023. If redesign is feasible, that should be completed in mid-2023. From there, they would need to secure funding in order to start construction.

There was a project website: Fort Totten – North Michigan Park Pedestrian Access Improvement Project Environmental Assessment. It has not been updated in a while (though some information has been removed). Hopefully NPS will update this page with this latest information and keep it updated.

• Trash along Galloway Street near Fort Totten Metro station

NPS acknowledged that trash is a problem along the parkland on Galloway Street leading to Fort Totten Metro station. Ms. Washburn said that NPS mainly relies on volunteers to clean up NPS parks, and she said they are always looking for volunteers to help keep the park clean. I think it would be useful if NPS could work out an agreement with Metro since Metro personnel have an everday presence in the area as opposed to NPS personnel.

• Setting up 311 type system for tracking issues in park, such as dumping, trash, overgrown vegetation, fallen trees, etc.

In response to my question about whether NPS could set up a system for tracking common requests and providing acountability, Ms. Washburn said that for issues regarding Fort Totten, residents can email NPS through the contact page on the Rock Creek Park website at https://www.nps.gov/rocr/contacts.htm or call the main number at (202) 895-6000.

• Status of sidewalk along south side of Galloway Street NE between South Dakota Avenue and 4th Street

NPS did not address the sidwalk along Galloway Street NE while I was still on the meeting, and I do not know if it was answered at all during the meeting. This project requires coordination between NPS and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). It had orginally been delayed because NPS designed a 6-foot path rather than a 10-foot path, so engineers had to redesign the path. DDOT did share the following information in an email to me on September 30, 2022:

We are working on engineering plans now which should be completed by August 2023. Construction would likely start in spring 2024 if there are no snags. Ideally, we want to build a 10 foot wide multi-use trail with a 4 foot wide grass buffer between the street and the path. We are doing a tree survey now to see if we can fit it all in without impacting any protected trees.

• Using Fort Circle Park for activities like movies in the park and other activities and getting a walking trail around perimeter of the park.

A walking trail and more passive activities are called out in the neighborhood’s area development plan. It is consistent with NPS’s long term vision for Fort Circle Park, which is that the park be used for “passive recreation.” At the town hall, Ms. Washburn stated that NPS is looking to update its long-range plan in 2023-2024 and will seek resident input on what passive recreation at Fort Circle Park could look like.

The official name of the Fort Circle Parks is the Civil War Defenses of Washington. NPS has long stated that because of the historic significance of these parks, they are not like other NPS parks that may have lots of amenties, such as playgrounds, soccer fields, tennis courts, and swimming pools. NPS has long said (at least with respect to Fort Totten) that they want the park to look how it did back during the Civil War. But we know that Fort Dupont Park, for example, does in fact have lots of non-historical amenities in the park. (Not to mention that our own park has a stray baseball net and did in fact have a playground or at least a basketball court at one time). I was told some time in the past couple of years by a park ranger that Fort Dupont has lots of different amenities because residents demanded more activities in the park following the assassination of Martin Luther, Jr. and NPS actually listened.

For what it is worth, NPS is currently undergoing a public process to rehabilitate parkland in Congress Heights. Planning documents are available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkland. I imagine the process for Fort Circle Park could look a lot similar.

NPS did not get to my questions about placing recycling receptacles near the park at South Dakota and Galloway Street NE or putting dog waste bags in the park. There were lots of other questions about the multitude of NPS parks in DC. Hopefully we will get a read out of responses from NPS soon.

I have a recap of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s quarterly meeting with National Park Service (NPS) that was held on November 16 sitting in my drafts, and I just received an update today from NPS regarding the ill-fated North Michgan Park-Fort Totten pedestrian trail between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE. Recall that the last update they gave residents stated that the redesign would be done in November 2022 (as in this month). Well, we are going to have to wait longer to see if this project will get done.

I cannot say I am surprised, but I remain confused about why there seems to so much confusion between NPS and Metro. I thought it was common knowledge that Metro’s green line tunnel at Fort Totten runs underneath the park between Gallatin and Galloway Street NE east and west of South Dakota Avenue, and I guess I thought NPS and Metro would have figured out how deep the tunnel was before NPS started digging (kind of like “call before you dig”). I guess not.

In the meantime, I do hope NPS and Metro will come to an agreement about keeping the edges of the parkland along Galloway Street clean.

Look for more emails in your inbox imploring residents not to use the “construction zone.” Seriously though, it is getting dark earlier, so be careful.

NPS message below:

Good Day Fort Totten community leaders and residents, please note this latest update on the project to construct a paved trail between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street NE, just east of Fort Totten.

As most are aware, the National Park Service stopped work on this project earlier this year– after uncovering a portion of the Metrorail’s green line tunnel during trail construction.

 After a thorough review and subsequent discussions with engineers and additional engagement with WMATA, the National Park Service has determined that we will need to redesign the trail with a new alignment. It is our intent to issue a contract for this redesign later this year or early 2023. 

If this can be done, we should have design completed in mid-2023. When funding is available, we will proceed with construction, but that may take some time, as we won’t know the costs of construction until we have a design completed.  In the meantime, we will update you on a regular basis as we proceed with the design. 

We ask again for the community’s patience as well as request neighbors/metro riders continue to detour around the trail construction site until the new trail is in place. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at kym_elder@nps.gov.

Sincerely,

Kym Elder

Program Manager

Civil War Defenses of Washington

From Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton invites you to participate in a Town Hall Meeting with the National Park Service. Congresswoman Norton will host representatives from the National Park Service to provide updates and respond to your questions, comments, and concerns about federal park lands and issues under their jurisdiction in Washington, DC.

The pertinent details are below:

Who: All DC Residents

What: Town Hall Meeting with the National Park Service

When: Wednesday, November 16th, 2022, 6-7:30pm

Where:  Zoom

Link: https://ushr.zoomgov.com/j/1603789012

Register: https://forms.office.com/g/Ln4bSq0JSH

If you have any questions, please email NortonEvents@mail.house.gov or call (202) 408-9041.

Ed. Note: Message below is from National Park Service regarding the North Michigan Park-Fort Totten Metro Station Pedestrian Trail received on August 11, 2022.

From Kym Elder

Thank you for writing and/or contacting us. We understand the frustration with this closure and project. 

The National Park Service (NPS) is finalizing the redesign of the trail, which includes protection of the WMATA Metrorail tunnels directly below the trail, which were uncovered when we re-started construction last year. 

As previously noted, we have completed all our munitions testing and have not found any issues of concern.

The re-design work should be completed by late November with construction to resume early spring 2023 and completion in the 2023 summer/early fall season.  

We are asking the neighbors refrain from moving the fencing or putting materials on the trail surface. Rather, we ask that users utilize the trail just to the east of the construction site, or walk around the block to get to the Metro.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me, Kym Elder, Program Manager, Civil War Defenses of Washington at kym_elder@nps.gov.

We thank you for your patience. 

Kym Elder
Program Manager
Civil War Defenses of Washington
National Capital Area

Yesterday, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office issued a press release regarding the meeting her office held with the National Park Service (NPS), US Army Corps of Engineers and WMATA. I covered NPS’s statement in this post.

From Congresswoman Norton’s Office

Mar 3, 2022 

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a statement on her meeting earlier this week with the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to discuss the unexploded ordnance found on Fort Totten Trail in the District of Columbia. Norton requested the meeting.

“I have been working to clean up the Spring Valley Formerly Used Defense Site since ordnance were first discovered there, in 1993, and the discovery of an unexploded ordnance on Fort Totten Trail was extremely concerning,” Norton said. “However, we had a productive meeting, and I was reassured that there has been a thorough search of the area without turning up additional issues. I am committed to ensuring that residents across the District of Columbia are safe from ordnance, chemical weapons, and soil and groundwater contamination.”

Today, the National Park Service shared the following information with ANC 5A and myself.

On yesterday, the National Park Service (NPS), the US Army Corp of Engineers and others convened briefly via teleconferencing to provide DC Delegate Norton and her staff with an update on the referenced subject.  

NPS updated Del. Norton and her staff — as we did with your group on last Wednesday (2/23/22) evening.

Please note, the following highlights shared with all:

The National Park Service (NPS) is continuing design work on the pedestrian trail between Gallatin Street and Galloway Street NE. 

Last summer, after trail construction resumed, we immediately uncovered a portion of the Metrorail Green Line tunnel. The tunnel runs underground within the trail construction area. 

The National Park Service then contracted with a design firm to look at various options for the trail, including realignment and testing for unexploded ordnance in those areas that would be affected by a relocation of the trail.

This phase of the work is underway now. We expect this work will take about three months. Once a new realignment is chosen, work can resume on trail construction. 

We anticipate this will happen this summer, but we will provide a more definitive timeline once we have the trail design finalized. 

I am still working on the ANC 5A February 23rd meeting recap, which touches on this topic. That will be up in the next couple of days.

Updated with the reports shared in the ANC meeting recap: A document dated January 2018 outlines the community engagement that was done regarding testing of soil on the western side of the park where WMATA brought in fill dirt from Spring Valley to rehabilitate the parkland used by WMATA for staging during construction of the green line a few decades ago. A document dated April 2019 contains the preliminary testing results for that staging area. A document dated August 2021 is the soil study of the area on the eastern side of the park where the unexploded WWI ordnance was found during construction of the pedestrian trail