The Commander of the Pokahuloa Training Area hosted a meeting to update Big Island Officials and the community regarding the current depleted uranium (DU) situation in the training area. In the 60's, DU spotting rounds were utilized in training activities held in Pohakuloa as part of the Army's Davy Crockett weapons system. The portable field launch system was intended as a nuclear device for use against enemy infantry personnel during the height of the Cold War. Fortunately, this weapon was never used, however DU spotting rounds, used to simulate the weight and characteristics of the nuclear projectile were used in Pohakuloa and on the Scholfield Barracks Base on Oahu.
The army claims that there is minimal acceptable risk at Pohakuloa, assuming that the area containing the DU spotting rounds remains undisturbed.
When asked about the possibility that the DU could find it's way into the ground water, a civilian army official admitted that it could happen in "a billion years." I am concerned that there is a possibility that the DU could eventually find it's way into the ground water and believe that this would warrant it's removal.
