European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 26, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 9 a amps  Didi give me your planes. Miss Liberty Isnit putting a Torch to an the Tricky perspective that a produced by from that Island in new York Harbor. It tourist attraction As the Jet passed Over a Airliner As it flies by. The effect is All in a telephoto Lens. And the picture Isnit was taken at the Lego land Denmark Model of the statue of . Bases overseas leave Trail of pollution continued from Page 1 in West Germany have warned that . Military officers or civilian employees face a the Specter of criminal charges especially concerning groundwater  As the worlds most extensive Industrial Enterprise the military generates huge quantities of hazardous wastes a used oils and solvents paint sludge plating residues heavy metals cyanide pcs Battery acid pesticides and herbicides and virtually every other toxic substance known to Man. The Pentagon also creates special classes of lethal byproducts a High level radioactive wastes from atomic weapons plants High explosive powder outdated chemical weapons rocket fuels and ordnance practice ranges full of unexploded bullets bombs and artillery shells. In addition the 2 million men and women in uniform and 1 million civilian Pentagon employees stationed in the United states and around the Globe daily produce tons of Ordinary garbage medical wastes and photographic chemicals and As much sewage As a Laige City. By the Pentagon a own admission much of this waste has been treated cavalierly both in the United states and abroad. A seven year Survey of 1,579 Domestic bases found 14,401 Sites of known and suspected contamination including 87 that qualify for inclusion on the superfund list of the most polluted places in America. Cleaning up the messes at . Bases will Cost at least $20 billion according to department of defense estimates. While there is no systematic Effort under Way to determine How badly polluted americans overseas bases Are the army has identified 300 contaminated Sites in West Germany alone. Of the total 25 Are deemed serious enough to require expensive Long term remedies. The Navy says that it does not know the extent of contamination at its Many overseas bases because it has neither Money nor a Legal requirement to study the problem. The Navy a senior environmental officer conceded that the service is aware of a number of polluted Sites worldwide but refused to identify them because it would create a problems with Host  the full extent of the military a overseas pollution remains shrouded in secrecy. The Only congressional audit on the subject a 1986 study that uncovered significant toxic contamination at . Bases in West Germany Italy and England was quickly stamped secret by the Pentagon and the state department. Publicizing the information officials argued could affect sensitive negotiations on the return of leased facilities to Host countries which Are expected to demand that the United states undertake costly cleanups. Officials also worry that evidence of severe pollution at overseas bases might intensify Calls a already being heard in Germany Greece Spain and the Philippines a for the Yankees to pack up and go Home. An internal Pentagon memorandum called hazardous waste contamination in Europe a an emerging political issues and a a serious budget  according to the memo prepared following a visit in late 1988 to Germany by a senior Pentagon environmental official a the air Force has been hesitant to identify and investigate Sites because of the potential political ramifications. They have a technical political dilemma. If they identify Sites do nothing and the germans find out they have problems. If they done to do anything and the germans identify that the pollution exists they have  some German officials already know of the problems. A the extent of contamination on . Bases is shocking a said Gemot Rotter a member of the environmentalist Green party in the legislature of the German state of Rheinland Pfalz Home of the largest contingent of american service members outside the United states. Do whatever they want. A and that a the problem. The military is entirely self regulating. Milit Aries arc always arrogant. They Are separate. They speak a different language. They have a different culture. They make up their own  in theory and in policy the american armed services abroad follow . Or Host nation environmental Law whichever is stricter. In practice they follow neither because . Regulation does not reach overseas while military installations Are generally exempted from Host nation Laws under Basing agreements said rep. Richard b. Ray d-ga., chairman of a House armed services committee panel that monitors military environmental practices. Berteau the Pentagon environmental official conceded that in the past overseas military commanders tended to treat wastes negligently but said the current generation of officers is a lot More sensitive to these issues than previous commanders  yet today seven years after the Pentagon created the defense environmental restoration program to investigate chemical contamination at . Facilities the department of defense has no program and no budget for cleaning up its polluted overseas bases bar teau acknowledged. Maj. Gen. James w. Ray chief of engineering at Mai. A a . Army Europe Headquarters in Heidelberg said he spends at least $25 minion of his $ 1 billion annual budget on environmental compliance and cleanup. But he acknowledged that the sum Only begins to address the very worst problems and that his environmental activities Are a grossly  the air Force spends $9 million to $ 10 million a year on it i a _ a�?.4� it a a 1m a 4 m a n environmental Protection projects in Europe but such a sum could easily be consumed by the Cost of cleaning one medium sized contamination site said environmental offi a up to now the government in Bonn has done nothing. In a not blaming the americans As much As the German government which has allowed them to rials at . Air forces Europe Headquarters at Ramstein a. The service spends a total of $25 million on All environmental activities outside the United states according to air Force officials in Washington. West Germany . Cooperating in cleanups by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau Kaiserslautern West Germany a . And West German officials Are participating in painstaking and expensive cleanups of Oil fuels and solvents at several locations. The top three Sites Are a Taylor Barracks in Mannheim where a solvent used to clean engines has poisoned the water table. A Sermersheim army depot where about 260,000 Gallons of heating Oil leaked into the ground water. A Rhein main a where about 500,000 Gallons of Jet fuel have contaminated the water table. Other areas that must be cleaned include Pitburg a the Mainz army depot Wurzburg and bad Kreuz Nach. In Mannheim officials Are working to remove trichloroethylene a solvent used for cleaning engines from the ground water and soil said Helge Mueller an environmental Engineer with the 21st theater army area come. The cleanup is a time and Money consuming operation. The water must be cleaned through separators and a system of activated Carbon filters. The soil must be removed and cleaned using a special genetically engineered Batena that will eat hydrocarbons a Mueller said. Afterwards the soil is returned to the area from which it was removed. The Mannheim cleanup is expected to Cost up to 15 million Marks about $9 million. The project at Sermersheim army depot North of Karlsruhe involves a leak of heating Oil from an underground feeding line that went undetected for years Mueller said. The leak occurred sometime during 1978 or 1979, he said. It is easy to clean the water at Sermersheim since Oil is lighter than water and floats he said. The soil however must go through a cleaning process similar to that at Mannheim. Mueller estimates that the costs of cleaning this one site will be 10 million Marks or More about $6 million. At Sermersheim cleanup costs Are shared by the . Forces and the Ger Man defense costs administration Mueller said. The United states pays for cleanup on the Interior of .-run installation while the germans pay costs for contamination outside the fences. The air forces worst known site in West Germany a the extensive Jet fuel contamination of ground water at Rhein main a will Cost an estimated $ 15 million and take at least five years officials said. Bonn and Washington Are negotiating the question of who pays the Bill. Landfills also present problems to the . Military. When they were first built the landfills were nothing More than holes in the ground with no consideration Given to the types of wastes being disposed. Some of the wastes decomposed into toxic forms and have contaminated the soil and water tables. Currently a closed Landfill at Pir Masens is being surveyed for cleanup Mueller said. A the Landfill had not been prepared properly a Mueller said. A it was done on the Best available technology in the 1950s. Nowadays under no circumstances would you operate a Landfill on an unimproved  he said that the first serious cleanup actions began about a year ago but a it could take up to five six seven  landfills at Grafe Wohr and Hohrn Fels also need extensive cleanup. These Sites not ony contain Normal wastes but also unexploded ordnance from the training areas. Chemical solvents arc also the culprits polluting the Mainz army depot. The solvents also from cleaning vehicles have contaminated the water table in Mainz. The Wurzburg Community and Rose Barracks at Baa Kreuz Nach have contamination caused by waste materials from dry cleaning plants. Toxic and carcinogenic chemicals have leached into the drinking water at both Sites requiring extensive cleanup programs. Environmental engineers and other experts from 21st theater army area come . Air forces in Europe and v corps meet at least three times a year with German government officials to discuss cleanup efforts already under Way and plans for future cleanups. Contributing to this report the lot Angelet Timet in Heidelberg West Germany