Letter to The Honorable John M. McHugh Secretary of the Army and The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works

Letter

U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) yesterday sent a letter to Army Secretary John McHugh and Assistant Secretary of the Army Jo-Ellen Darcy expressing concern over military equipment--notably unexploded military weapons, or ordnance--left in the Toussaint River near the former Erie Army Depot site in Carroll Township. In the letter, Brown, Voinovich, and Kaptur write that they hope that any resolution between the State of Ohio and the U.S. Army includes dredging of the Toussaint River to remove the ordnance, which poses a potential safety hazard to the residents of Carroll Township.

"This is an issue that affects the safety and the livelihood of all those who live and work near the Toussaint River," said Brown. "It's critical that we ensure that ordnance is removed from the Toussaint River as part of the Erie Army Depot clean up."

"My provision in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act ensured that maintenance dredging of the Toussaint River would be funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," Sen. Voinovich said. "I look forward to working with Secretary McHugh and Assistant Secretary Darcy on a quick resolution to move this important project forward."

"We have a responsibility to the community--property owners, boaters, anglers--to do what we can to fix the problems that were left behind and unaddressed," said Kaptur.

The letter notes the proximity of the Toussaint River to the Erie Army Depot site, and cites the river's economic importance to the Carroll Township community: "This river is economically important to this area as a source of tourism and fishing; yet in the past ten years the use of the river has steadily declined due to ordnance concerns. Small scale dredging has occurred in the past, but it is also worth noting that in prior years the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has denied permits to dredge based on the safety factor of ordnance being in the channel."

"Simply, the State of Ohio is asking the USACE to conduct a onetime dredging of this channel for roughly $670,000 with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency willing to provide the required non-federal share," the letter continues.

The full letter to Secretary McHugh and Assistant Secretary Darcy is below.

July 27, 2010

The Honorable John M. McHugh
Secretary of the Army
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1400

The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy
Assistant Secretary of the Army, Civil Works
108 Army Pentagon
Room 3E446
Washington, DC 20310

Dear Secretary McHugh and Assistant Secretary Darcy:

We write to you today on a matter of importance to our constituents in Northwest Ohio. As you know, the State of Ohio entered into a dispute resolution with the Army at the end of 2009 in hopes of resolving long standing issues at the former Erie Army Depot site in Carroll Township, Ottawa County, Ohio. The escalation of this problem came after two unsuccessful attempts to resolve issues at lower levels of the dispute resolution process.

We understand that the State of Ohio and the Army are close to reaching agreement on the dispute resolution. However, the last remaining issue left to be resolved is the dredging of the Toussaint River. As members of Ohio's congressional delegation, we have been frustrated by the slow pace of unexploded ordnance removal from the Erie Army Depot and the mouth of the Toussaint River. While some beach clearance actions have periodically been taken, in total, they simply do not adequately address the overall safety concerns of our constituents.

The mouth of the Toussaint River is located approximately 1¼ miles from the Erie Army Depot site and ordnance has previously been found in the river channel. This river is economically important to this area as a source of tourism and fishing; yet in the past ten years the use of the river has steadily declined due to ordnance concerns. Small scale dredging has occurred in the past, but it is also worth noting that in prior years the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has denied permits to dredge based on the safety factor of ordnance being in the channel. Simply, the State of Ohio is asking the USACE to conduct a onetime dredging of this channel for roughly $670,000 with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency willing to provide the required non-federal share.

It is our understanding that during the dispute resolution process many long standing issues have been resolved. We appreciate the Army's willingness to compromise, and we look forward to an amicable resolution that includes dredging of the Toussaint River.

Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown
U.S. Senator

George Voinovich
U.S. Senator

Marcy Kaptur
Member of Congress

Source