Nevada tribe wants to stop Army burning of munitions in California

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

Residents of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation testified at a hearing in Nixon Wednesday against the 30-year-old practice of burning or detonating obsolete bombs and bullets at the Sierra Army Depot.

The Army is in the process of seeking a new permit to continue the operations at the depot at Herlong, Calif., upwind from Pyramid Lake.

Tribal members say toxic particles are carrying to their homes and causing higher cancer rates.

"The poisons are in our air, water and earth," Debbie Barlese said.

"I'm a grandmother and I want it stopped to protect my children's health, my grandchildren's health and the health of generations unborn."

Federal health officials agreed earlier this week to conduct a health hazard evaluation in the wake of the recent allegations that the burning of munitions is causing higher cancer rates in northern Nevada and California.

Over the last decade, about 28,000 tons of munitions have been detonated or burned in the open air every year. In 1995 alone, 53 million pounds of military explosives and 200 rocket motors were detonated or burned.

The ordnance contains toxic and carcinogenic chemicals including lead, mercury, arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, nickel, and dioxins. The Army burns when the wind is blowing in an easterly direction, towards the Pyramid Lake reservation and Reno's north valleys.

Critics, including a 1,000-member activist group in Lassen County, environmental and military watchdog groups and the Pyramid Lake tribe, say the depots disposal activities have had a significant impact on human health, plants, animals, soil, streams, ground water and air and water quality.

On Wednesday, tribal officials said the reservation has elevated cancer rates, calves dying of unknown respiratory ailments, a declining white pelican population, cows with tumors, fish smaller than normal and a greater than expected percentage of school children with learning disabilities.

"Who is to say the chemicals when they come down don't go into the lake and poison it," said Norman Clark, a Tlingit Indian from Alaska who lives in Nixon. "The toxins go somewhere. They come back to haunt you."

The Army has justified the open burning and detonation practice based on computer models that show smoke plumes from the blasts and the burnings don't cause pollution. If the Army is granted a permit, California officials will require actual monitoring of air, soil and water.

Several speakers Wednesday said monitoring should be done immediately to gauge the damage of more than 30 years of smoke plumes. They also said the fish and animals should be tested for toxins.

"The technology is available," said Don Walls, who works with the tribes water resources department. "Stop what's going on at the depot. Know what's in the plume before you write the permit."

Dan Mosley, the tribes environmental specialist, said the fish, birds, cattle, deer and antelope should be tested for toxins.

"We see more and more cancer here and more long-term chronic effects here," he said. "Its got to stop. Send the depot somewhere else. Get it out of our back yard."

Alan Mandell, a tribal member, said the Army is not following federal regulations that require agencies to do a cultural assessment of effects on Indian tribes. He said the burns threaten residents health and destroy cultural and traditional activities such as fishing and basket making.

"These resources are the cultural bridge between the past and future which ensures the cultural continuity of my people today," he said. "Once these bridges are destroyed, cultural continuity ends and annihilation begins."

The Army has said the depot uses open pits because it is the cheapest way to dispose of unwanted munitions. The depot blows up or burns more ordnance than any other military facility in the nation.

Several speakers said the Army should be forced to use safer technology, such as enclosed blast chambers used at Hawthorne and other military bases.

Rick Mapes of the California Department of Toxic Substances said his agency is getting information on alternative technologies for weapons destruction. He said the agency would continue to gather testimony and information about the depots practices.