Environmental Assessment: For Joint Biological Point Detection System (JBPDS) at Multiple Test Ranges, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

摘要

The Proposed Action is for the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) to perform an operational test and evaluation of the Joint Biological Point Detection System (JBPDS) utilizing multiple test sites on Eglin AFB (Figure 1-1). Eglin AFB is located in the Florida Panhandle between Pensacola and Panama City and is bordered on the south by the Gulf of Mexico. The main objective of the JBPDS is to evaluate the system s performance in detecting innocuous air-released compounds in several environments on Eglin Air Force Base. These environments include several different biologically rich coastal, forest, and grassland environments. These areas include the main operating airfield and test ranges A-10, A-11, A-12, A-13, A-15, B-12, B-70, B-71, and C-72. The air-released compounds include innocuous (harmless) biological simulants and tracers. Aerial (by airplane) dispersion of simulants and tracer gas will take place at test ranges B-12, B-70, and B-71. The wet and dry aerosol tests will consist of both long- and short-range ground releases, as well as aerial and point releases at select ranges. Closed-box testing will occur on Santa Rosa Island (A-10, A-11, A-12, A-13, and A-15) and McKinley Climatic Laboratory (using cold weather protocols), wherein the stimulant releases will be completely enclosed within a box structure. Test Area C-72 will be used as a command and control center. Innocuous biological simulants would include: Bacillus subtilis var. niger (BG), Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), MS2 (a bacteriophage), ovalbumin (OV), and Erwinia herbicola (EH). Aerial release will consist of benign simulants BG and OV only, with all other simulants released via ground dispersion methods. Tracers used will include propylene and sulfur hexafluoride gases (SF6 gas). Interferants used to challenge the systems are kaolin dust, signal smoke, hexachloroethane smoke (HC smoke), burning diesel, burning rags, and burning vegetation. Testing is anticipated to occur six