SUMMER 1972-VOLUME 2-NUMBER 2 1 

2 PipelinelNews Items 

4 Engineer InterviewlMG Willard Roper 

12 America The BeautifullEngineer Staff 

15 America's Leaning Tower of PisalCPT Mark W. Miller 

16 The Environmental SyndromelEngineer Staff 

22 Recycling For Survival/CPT Lawrence D. Allwine 

24 It's All In Your Own BackyardlCPT Lawrence A. Willwerth, 111 

P?\ 

28 The Third Pollution--Solid WastelMAJ William B. Willard, Jr. 

32 Dynamic Training/LTC George W. Page 

35 A Day With BD-5IEngineer Staff 

38 Planning A Dynamic Training Program/COL W. R. Hylander, Jr. 

41 The Blooming Menace/Engineer Staff 

44 Bridging The GaplCareer Notes 

DEPARTMENTS: Chief's BriefilPipeline 

Dynamic Trainirlg/Bridging The Gap 
Etienne Nicholas Marie Bechet, Sieur de Rochefontaine, later known 

as Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Rochefontaine, lies buried in the churchyard of St. Paul's chapel of Trinity parish in New York City. This French 

officer, the fourth Chief Engineer of the United States Army, is probably 

the most distinguished of his nationality who actually took part in the 

ffllilitary operations of the War for American Independence and who is 

~nterredon American soil. 

He was born on February 20, 1755, the son of a wine merchant, on 

the right bank of the Marne River in a town famous for its production 

of sparkling wines---the town of Ay. 

Little is known of his early military training, although conjecture has 

it that he possibly had been to the Royal Military School of Brienne-leChateau, transferring later to the Military School of Paris---the usual 

routine at that time. He was just 23 years of age when he arrived in 

America and volunteered for service in General George Washington's 

Army. On September 18, 1778 he was appointed a Captain in the Corps 

of Engineers, and was one of two engineers recommended for promotion 

during the Siege of Yorktown. On November 16, 1781 he was brevetted 

a Major by Congress for his distinguished service during that conflict. 

In 1783 Rochefontaine returned to France and re-entered the service 

of King Louis XVI as a Captain in the provincial troops. The king subsequently appointed him Adjutant General of the Army of Santo Doming~. He escaped to America shortly after the king was executed, and 

was appointed a civilian engineer to fortify the New England coast by 

President Washington. When the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers 

were organized on February 26, 1795, Washington made Rochefontaine 

a Lieutenant Colonel and Commandant of the new Corps. He established 

a military school at West Point in 1795, but the building and all of his 

equipment were burned in 1796. Colonel Rochefontaine remained as 

Commandant of the Corps until he retired on May 7, 1798, "to enjoy 

,- the midst of friendship an esteem justly acquired and a repose worthily 

merited." He lived in New York City until his death January 30, 1814. 

U.S. Army Engineer School 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia 

Commandant 

MG Robert 9. Ploger 

Assistant Commandant 

BG Richard 1. Harris 

Deputy Assistant 

Commandant 

COL Charles A. McLeod 

Secretary 

LTC Robert 1. Crosby 

Editor 

Robert G. McClintic 

Executive Editor 

CPT Dennis F. Pierman 

Contributing Editor 

William T. Spriegel 

Art Director 


John W. Savage, Jr. 


The Engineer is an authorized quarterly 

publication of the U.S. Army Engineer 

School. It is published to provide factual 

and in-depth information of interest to 

all Engineer units. Articles, photographs and art work of general interest may be 

submitted for consideration to: Editor, 

The Engineer, USA Engineer School, Fort 

Belvoir, Virginia 22060. Views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily 

those of the Department of the Army. Use 

of funds for printing of this publication 

has been approved by Headquarters, Department of the Army, July ll, 1969. 

Subscriptions to THE ENGINEER moga-


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Printing Ofice Washington D. C. 20402. 


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ABOUT THE COVER 

Art Director John W. Savage, Jr., 

uses a scale model on the cover to 

point up the seriousness of man's 

battle to save his environment 

from the pollutants and waste 

that threaten the very air, water, 

and land on which he lives. The 

Corps' effort to do something 

about the problem is told in this 

issue. 1 
t 

I 

d 

ENGINEER OFFICERS IMPACT STATEMENTS Years in the most threatened areas. 

1' 

MOBILIZED TO ASSIST ON ENVIRONMENT Measures to halt erosion ap 3 

pear justified for 2,700 miles of AGNES FLOOD VICTIMS PUBLISHED BY OCE at an estimated cost of 

In response to an emergency situation in five states resulting from 

the worst and most extensive flooding on record for the East coast, 

the President directed the Department of the Army to mobilize approximately 100 engineer officers. 

More than 60 company grade officers from the Engineer Officer Advanced Course and about 20 field 

grade officers from the First Army 

area were alerted on Sunday afternoon, June 25, for departure on 

temporary duty to flood ravaged 

Pennsylvania, New York, North 

Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia 

the following morning. 

According to Major General John 

W. Morris, Director of Civil Works 

for the Corps of Engineers, who 

briefed the alerted officers, action 

directed toward preventing the loss 

of human life was the priority mission. Disaster relief in the form of 

restoring lines of communication 

and removing debris left by Agnes 

comprised the mission for the remainder of the operation. 

Officers who were selected for 

the task returned to their duties here 

at Fort Belvoir weeks later, after 

which local efforts were applied independently to restore life to its 

normal activity. 

The Office, Chief of Engineers, 

has published a compilation of draft 

and final environmental impact 

statements prepared by the Corps 

of Engineers and filed with the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

during the first calendar quarter 

of 1972. 

Copies of the current compilation 

(Vol. 11, Jan.-Mar., 1972) and 

Volume I (1970-1971) are available upon request to: Public Affairs 

Office (DAEN-PA), Office of the 

Chief of Engineers, Washington, 

DC 20314. 

SHORELINE EROSION 

COULD BECOME 

ALARMING PROBLEM 

Current shore protection programs are not keeping pace with 

needs, according to a U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers study of the 

National Shoreline. 

This first study ever by the Corps 

of shoreline erosion has produced 

some startling findings. 

Erosion of about 43 percent 

of the 37,000 miles of U.S. shoreline outside of Alaska causes widespread loss of land and property. 

Life can be endangered within five 

--

$1.8-billion. The critically affected 

areas are 1,090 miles of North Atlantic coast, 1,110 miles on the 

South Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 220 

miles of the Great Lakes, 80 miles 

in California, 70 miles of the North 

Pacific, 100 miles in Alaska, and 

30 miles in Hawaii. n, 

The report says first priority 

erosion control should be given to 

about 190 miles of shoreline where, 

if erosion is allowed to continue, 

public safety is likely to be threatened as early as 1976. 

The coastal zone is growing more 

rapidly in population than other 

parts of the nation. In the past 10 

years, 90 percent of the national 

population growth was in coastal 

states. The 30 coastal states have 

75 percent of the nation's population and 12 of the 13 largest cities. 

There are about 12,000 miles of 

beach frontage in the United States 

outside of Alaska. About one-fourth 

of the beach frontage has been 

developed for public recreation. 

Because many hundreds of millions 

of Americans visit the beaches each 

year, they are overcrowded and 

cannot satisfy foreseeable recreation demands. 

This report by the Corps is the f9 

first over-all national appraisal of 
shore erosion problems. After three 

centuries of focus on the interior 

of the nation, attention is coming 

back to the coastal zone. 

In his annual report to Congress 

on marine resources and engineering 

development last year, President 

Richard M. Nixon said, "During the 

past few years no single body of 

marine problems has attracted as 

much attention as those encomoassed in the U.S. coastal zone." 

The study points out the importance of the shoreline by underlining the fact that it is the heart 

of the coastal zone. This is where, 

according to the report, land, people, 

and sea meet. 

NUCLEAR POWER 

PLANT IS SLATED 

FOR DEACTIVATION 

The Chief of Engineers has announced that the SM-I Nuclear 

Power Plant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, will be deactivated in May 

of 1973. 

The SM-1 became operational in 

April, 1957, as the first of a family 

of nuclear power plants developed 

under a joint Atomic Energy Commission-Department of Defense 

program. It was built to train plant 

operators and accomplish research 

end development tasks for the three 

.- services. 

The Army expects to continue 

training for specific needs on a small 

scale using the existing reactor simulator and fuel handling facility at 

Belvoir, but in-plant operation will 

be conducted subsequently at the 

MH-IA site in the Canal Zone. 

EIRs CAN SOLVE 

PROBLEMS WITH BAD 

HAND TOOLS 

An Equipment Improvement Recommendation (EIR) , prepared on 

DA Form 2407, may be the answer 

to problems you experience with 

hand tools when they hold 

up under normal use or just don't 

seem vroverlv designed fir the iob . A . 
 - the book says they can do. 

The U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Command (MECOM), the 

folks who are responsible for correcting these problems, cautions that 

you should not be misled by the 

title of the form into thinking it 

has application to major items of 

equipment only. If used properly, 

they say, you may never have to 

use your self-service supply money 

again to replace a new tool that has 

disintegrated in your hand the first 

time out of its box. 

Stock up on DA 2407's and help 

MECOM keep you supplied with 

quality hand tools. Send your completed forms directly to: Commanding General, U.S. Army Mobility 

Equipment Command, ATTN: 

AMSME-MAO, 4300 Goodfellow 

Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63120. 

This soldier from Company B, 79th Engineer Battalion, Karlsruhe, Germany, is at the controls 

of some real heavy equipment. Normally a five-ton driver, he can't say he is working 

outside his Military Occupational Specialty. But where do you get Army training for a 

pachyderm permit? The company is felling trees and doing earthmoving work at the 

Saarbruecken Zoo as part of a "Helping Hand" project. Why the elephant? Guess he wanted 

to pitch in too. After all, this is a project to enlarge the zoo complex and everyone knows 

elephants need all the room they can get. 
with rnaior general VV 8 " (01TC 'foQ5~ 


Now, more than at any other 

time in its long and impressive history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is directing its considerable 

technical talents and professional expertise toward the mounting problems posed by pollution in the environment. 

One of the most important aspects of the national effort to clean 

up the environment is effective management of waste water. 

Proper waste water management 

will provide a source of added water 

supplies through recycling, permitting re-use by industry and agriculture and many other uses. 

The Corps initiated its Waste 

Water Management Program last 

year, charging its Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors with 

responsibility for the program. 

To find out first-hand the extent 

of the program and the progress 

being *ade in waste water management, the engineer interviewed Major General Willard 

Roper, Chairman of the Board of 

Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, 

who assumed that position in August, 1970. Prior to that, General 

Roper served for one year as Division Engineer of the Ohio River Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from 1966 until October, 

1967, when he was assigned to Vietnam as Commanding General of the 

18th Engineer Brigade and later as 

Commanding General, U.S. Army 

Construction Agency, Vietnam. He 

returned to the Ohio River Division 

in November, 1968. 

During his more than 28 years of 

military service, General Roper has 

held posts as Area Engineer on civil 

and military projects both here and 

abroad, as Engineer Staff Oficer for 

the Chief of Engineers, as Commanding Oficer of an Engineer 

Combat Group and with the U.S. 

Air Force Headquarters and 

SHAPE Headquarters in Paris. 

General ~oper is a graduate of 

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Army Command and 

General Staff College, the Industrial 

College of the Armed Forces, and 

is a registered Professional Engineer 

in the District of Columbic~. 

Answers to a number of probing 

questions follow in this exclusive 

interview. 

engr: General Roper, as Chairman of the Board of Engineers for 

Rivers and Harbors, you are heading up one of the most important 

projects the Corps of Engineers has 

ever undertaken. Would you give 

our readers an overview of the waste 

water management program? 

"We should design systems ..." 

ROPER: Yes. Waste water management is a program of studies we 

were asked to undertake to examine 

the waste water problems of some 

of the metropolitan areas of the United States on a regional basis. We 

have started with five so-called pilot 

studies, which include the Merrimac 

Basin in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the Cleveland-Akron 

area in Ohio, metropolitan Detroit, 

metropolitan Chicago and the San 

Francisco Bay area. As of now, we 

have produced feasibility studies of 

each. Although rather hastily done, 

they have demonstrated that a high 

level of treatment was obtainable by 

a number of alternative means. 

Since then, we have proceeded itA 

accordance with the wishes of Congress and the administration, with 

detailed studies of four of these---all 

but the Merrimac area. In response 

to a specific request from the ad- 

". . . to meet the needs of 1990." 
ministration, we have produced a 

ecial report on the Chicago area. 

qowever, I don't want to imply that 

we are through with the Chicago 

study in saying this. We intend to 

finish the detailed survey reports, as 

we term them, by the end of 1972. 

These reports, in each case, should 

recommend a system for managing 

the waste water of the metropolitan 

area in sufficient detail to permit its 

authorization---presumably by certification to the Environmental Protection Agency and the allocation of 

matching funds under that agency's 

grant program. 

e ngr: Was there any specific reason for choosing these five study 

areas? 

ROPER: There were several factors 

influencing the decision. First, we 

wanted major metropolitan areas 

because we've always looked at 

water on a regional as opposed to a 

Imal basis. So it appeared that we 

Could provide a regional approach 

to this problem. In addition, we had 

undertaken to do a detailed study of 

alternatives which would include 

land treatment as one. That's really 

how we got into the study. These 

considerations were certainly major 

factors in the initial selection of 

these specific areas. Secondly, these 

areas had major problems. And 

third, we had studies already underway on related problems in these 

areas. So we already had the necessary funds and authority to study 

water problems. Congress, through 

committee action and the administration, through Office of Management and Budget (OMB) action, 

authorized us to redirect the ongoing studies to look at this particular 

aspect. 

engr: What sort of a connection 

do you have with the EnvironmentP I Protection Agency? Is there an 

ninter-relationship between the Corps 

and EPA? 

ROPER: Yes, in the conduct of the 

feasibility studies, we had a memorandum of agreement with the 

agency whereby we agreed to consult with them, work together and to 

accept their views on certain things. 

I think that it has worked out reasonably well, although the degree of 

coordination was less than we would 

have liked because we had to produce the feasibility studies in such a 

short period of time. We had to 

work them up between February 

and the first of August, 1971. In the 

conduct of the detailed studies, we 

are working with the Environmental 

Protection Agency in each of our 

field offices. We are also coordinating our activities with the states, 

which is equally important. Obviously, if we come up with a plan 

that is going to be carried out, it 

must be acceptable both to the state 

and to the EPA. 

engr: How large a budget have 

you to run this program? 

ROPER: We're talking in terms of 

study costs for a major metropolitan 

area in the order of $1-million. So 

you can figure about $5-million, 

roughly, for the five metropolitan 

areas. We will proceed with more as 

a result of action subsequent to the 

original direction. We are only referring to study activities now, so 

when we speak about budget, we're 

talking about the budget to do the 

studies. The budget to carry out the 

actual work is something else again. 

engr:How does the Federal 

money fit into the state plan? 

ROPER: Well, let me touch on the 

five pilot studies. These are financed 

for planning by appropriations to 

the Corps of Engineers, and the outcome of the studies should be a report which will serve primarily two 

purposes. First, it will be a report 

which the state can use in seeking 

design and construction financing 

through normal channels---certification to the Environmental Protection Agency, and the receipt of a 

Federal grant under existing law. 

Secondly, it will constitute a report 

to Congress on what we have done 

---what plan we generated and recommended to the state. It will indicate also, as best we know it at the 

time, what the state intends to do 

with it. 

engr: Has your assistance been 

requested by local communities? 

ROPER: Well, in the original five, 

there was no initiative on the part of 

the localities to ask for assistance. 

The initiative, I think, really came 

from Washington---Congress and 

the OMB. Obviously, if the Congress asked us to do this, it reflected 

some interest on the part of local 

areas. However, on the subsequent 

studies and on the continuation of 

these studies, we have had resolutions in each case from the Public 

Works Committees of both houses 

of Congress which were initiated 

through the Congressional delegate 

and therefore reflect the desires of 

the local people or state interest. 

engr: What type of treatment 

process will be used in these areas? 

Are you leaning toward the chemical process, or land-fill? 
ROPER: I wouldn't say that I had 

any preference. Philosophically, 

what we have said is that we are 

looking for a very high level of 

treatment. People have described 

this in many different ways. Some 

have said we want zero discharge, 

but zero discharge is a difficult term 

to interpret. If what is meant is zero 

as an absolute quantity---nothingness---then use of the term is meaningless. It's not attainable. Even if it 

could be attained, I doubt that it 

would be desirable, for the end 

product would be distilled water. I 

don't think we want distilled water 

in our streams, even if we could 

produce it at any kind of a sensible 

cost. So what we are talking about 

really is a high level which approaches zero, but without being 

absurd---and there are several different ways to do that, based on the 

existing treatment plants. Present 

treatment plants involve the primary 

treatment which. for the most part, 

is the removal of grit and debris and 

that sort of thing. Secondary treatment is a biological process which 

reduces the oxygen demand on 

streams and in the process takes out 

some other things too. This, basically, is the kind of treatment that 

we have in this country today. To 

achieve a higher degree of quality in 

waste effluent, chemical processes 

can be incorporated into that system. Some people refer to this as a 

tertiary treatment which results in a 

very high quality product. The same 

end can be attained by starting 

fresh, eliminating the biological 

process as a secondary, and just 

treating the waste water in a chemical-physical plant which provides a 

high level of treatment through a 

series of chemical and physical 

processes. The third alternative is to 

treat waste water up to a point and 

then, rather than run it through the 

advanced physical-chemical processes, put this water on land. Let it 

filter through the surface of the land 

to a depth of five or 10 feet---or 

whatever depth is appropriate depending on the soil---, collect it in a 

system of under-drains and bring it 

somewhere for appropriate re-use. 

This also achieves a high level of 

quality. In the case of our Chicago 

study, in fact, it showed that we 

achieved a higher level of quality at 

lower cost by the land treatment 

than we did by the other two. In 

using a treatment plant approach, 

chemicals are mined from the earth, 

processed, then put into a plant 

somewhere to treat the water, leaving the problem of disposing of the 

solid residues. On the other hand, in 

a land treatment situation, the 

chemicals already exist in place, so 

all that is necessary is to get the 

waste water to the location where 

the chemicals exist and let the 

land---or nature---take its course, as 

it were. 

engr:General, regarding this 

"living filter" system---has it been 

programmed and used in the past? 

We understand that it was used 

overseas. Is that correct? 

ROPER: I suppose it's been used 

for eons. Even before man inhabited 

the earth, the natural fall of water 

contained some things which could 

be called contaminants. And those 

were filtered through the soil as they 

reached down into the ground water 

and into the rivers. So the soil has, 

since the earth's creation, performed 

a cleaning or a cleansing functir 

But as to deliberate systems, trac 

can be found back in ancient history. Modem man has gone to 

something more sophisticated---

namely, a plant arrangement of 

some kind. A few people have departed from that philosophy and 

have used, or are using land systems. Probably the largest one---and 

the one which has been in operation 

the longest period of time, at least 

that we know of---is in Melbourne, 

Australia. It handles the entire metropolitan waste from that city. Yet 

it is relatively primitive compared to 

the kind of systems that we're thinking about. But it has performed extremely well, and the land on which 

the waste is disposed has proved to 

be the basis for a very productive 

farming operation. There are other 

installations-some pilot work at 

Penn State University, for instance; 

and, more recently, a contract has 

been awarded for the constructioof a major land disposal system 

Muskegon, Michigan. Tallahassee, 

Florida uses a land disposal system 

which takes care of about 60 percent of that city's waste. So there 

are some systems in use here, but it 

has not been used on a large scale 

in the United States. There are a 

number of small ones---Golden 

Gate Park in San Francisco, for instance. A lot of golf courses around 

the country use them. There is a 

farm in Pennsylvania which operates on this basis. The largest that 

we know of, however---as I mentioned previously---is the one in 

Melbourne, Australia. 

engr: General, would you de-


scribe briefly just how this filter sys- 


tem works? And what part lagoons 


have in its operation? 


ROPER: Let me describe the 

concept that we developed for th~ 

Chicago area---and while this wou I 

1 

not be precisely the same for any 
3 

other community, it would have 

any characteristics in common. 

.rst, the system in the Chicago 

metropolitan area collects the waste. 

Included in that waste, as we define 

it, would be that from municipal 

sources, industrial sources and 

storm run-off. Rather than processing this waste water through a plant 

system, it is channeled into a tunnel 

and finally brought into one central 

tunnel which takes it out into a 

rural area about 50 miles south of 

the Chicago Loop. The total length 

of the main tunnel is about 100 

miles. This waste water flows by 

gravity all the way to the terminus, 

which in this study is the Kankochee River Basin. At the terminus, 

the waste water is 1,100 feet underground in a tunnel about 25 feet in 

diameter in rock. At that point, a 

one million horsepower, or larger, 

pumping plant raises the water to 

the surface, after which it is put 

through what is called an aerated 

R"\agoon. Two of those are contemili? ated in Chicago. These are relatively small lagoons in which there 

is a device which bubbles air 

through the waste water. This, in 

turn, creates a situation which is 

equivalent to normal secondary 

treatment. From there the water is 

moved to eight storage lagoons. 

These are three miles on a side. So 

you have a total of 72 square miles 

of surface area, about 25-30 feet 

deep. The lagoons will handle storage for about 150 days of flow, 

which is necessary because it cannot 

be disposed on land in the winter or 

when it is raining. The next step 

involves removal of the water from 

the storage lagoons, chlorination 

and transmission out into the land 

disposal area where big, low-pressure spray irrigation rigs of the kind 

that may be seen out west are employed to spray it onto the ground. 

It filters through the soil to a depth 

of from five to 10 feet where it 

,mathers in underdrains and is 

'"brought back to the other side of 

the area and channeled into a conduit so that it flows back into the 

Chicago metropolitan area by gravity. At that point it enters the Little 

Calumet River. Part of it is diverted 

into Lake Michigan and part of it 

down the river system. 

engr: After that water is filtered 

through the ground---is it potable? 

ROPER: Oh yes, it's better---within 

drinking water standards. The 

amount of phosphorous in it, for example, is so minute that it's about 

equivalent to that found in natural 

ground water that has not been 

tampered with in any way by man. 

It has no viruses, no pathogens, no 

trace of metals. It has a few things 

---residues---which might be called 

contaminants, but they are at levels 

that are minimal. It is an extremely 

high quality product. In fact, it's a 

higher quality product than can be 

obtained from any plant-type treatment system that we know of today. 

engr: Then this a much more 

economical system than the chemical process which you mentioned 

previously? 

ROPER: In the Chicago study it 

shows up quite favorably from a 

cost viewpoint---not only with respect to capital cost, but also with 

respect to operating and maintenance costs. I wouldn't guarantee 

that it would always be the most 

economical solution. I can conceive 

of situations where perhaps the distance this water would have to be 

moved for disposal would run the 

cost up to an unacceptable figure. 

Or difficulty in finding proper soil 

would create problems. I think we 

really have to study each area on its 

own merits and look at the alternatives, or combination of alternatives, 

to see which is the best solution for 

that particular area. 

engr: General, there have been 

a number of solutions advanced as 

to how to dispose of sludges---dump 

them in deep water---bury them in 

landfills---but such methods are being frowned on today. What are you 

doing about them? Is it true that 

they are being used for soil conditioning and fertilizer? 

ROPER: First, you must recognize 

that we are not really doing anything with them at all. We are doing 

some planning for what we think 

should be done with them. Sludges 

from any one of the systems---

whether it's a land disposal system 

which has sludge, or a treatment 

plant system of either type I mentioned earlier---contain solid material which must be disposed of, and 

I think it's foolish to waste it by 

burning it, dumping it at sea or by 

burying it deep in a land fill. There 

are many very valuable assets in 

that sludge and the logical thing to 

do is to make use of it. The best 

way is to use it on top soil in qualities that permit beneficial use. What 

it amounts to, and again I use the 

Chicago study as an example---the 

sludge from the advance biological 

system would be taken to the same 

area we envision using for the land 

treatment system, disposed of on the 

ground and cultivated for crops. 

The area, of course, would be much 

smaller than that required for a 
complete land disposal system in 

which the land is irrigated with 

waste water after having removed 

some sludge. Identical procedures 

are used in the physical-chemical 

system. The sludge is taken to the 

same area, spread on the ground 

and used. One difference does enter 

the picture here. The sludges pose 

more problems because of the type 

of treatment, and the rate of application therefore has to be much less 

which necessitates a much larger 

area. For land treatment systems, 

the storage lagoons previously mentioned accumulate sludge on the 

bottom very slowly. After a number 

of years---probably 10 to 15---a hydraulic dredge would be required to 

remove the sludge from the bottom 

of the lagoon and dispose of it again 

on land. In the interest of economy, 

it would be disposed of in the area 

immediately adjacent to the lagoon 

so as to reduce transmission costs. I 

think it's been but very recently that 

people have given serious considerations to making some really beneficial use of sludges. I think it's an 

excellent material for agricultural 

purposes if used properly. So it just 

seems only sensible that's the way it 

should be used. In fact, if you want 

to get down to a kind of basic philosophy, a pollutant is just an asset 

out of place. If you can collect these 

pollutants and do something useful 

with them, it just makes good economic sense, and good ecological 

sense to do so. 

engr: Would this sludge have to 

be mixed in a ratio with other material to make it useable? 

ROPER: Only with soil, I would 

say, as a general observation. It 

would have to be applied to the soil 

at such a rate whereby it wouldn't 

build up beyond the point where it 

would be useable. Heavy metals, for 

instance, can be accommodated in 

the soil and in the plant life, provided there isn't too high of a concentration. So for each type sludge, 

the disposal system would have to 

be designed accordingly. 

engr: How long have you been 

conducting these in-depth studies? 

ROPER: We began with the feasibility studies in February, 1971. 

Feasibility reports went forward in 

August, 1971, and we embarked on 

the more detailed studies beginning 

in December. We intend to complete the detailed studies in the four 

areas in which we are proceeding by 

the end of this calendar year. 

engr: Do you have a five-year 

plan in which you expect to have 

your universal type system in effect? 

ROPER: Well, at the moment there 

is no precise timetable. Bills have 

been enacted in both the Senate and 

the House, which set some dates for 

completion of planning, for example, but obviously the rate at which 

we accomplish plans depends on 

many factors. One would be the 

number of studies we are called 

upon to do. Another, of course, is 

the amount of funds made available 

to us. For any given study, we are 

thinking in terms of from two to 

two and one-half years for completion of a sufficiently detailed study 

which would permit somebody to 

use that plan for translation into detailed engineering construction. Regarding the total program we have 

right now, I mentioned the five 

studies, of which four are proceeding into the detailed stage. The fifth 

one will do so eventually, although 

probably in a somewhat different 

form---perhaps I should say a bit 

different area coverage. The other 

four are in a detailed study stage and 

will continue. More or less concurrently with those studies, we undertook two others in response to appropriate authorization. One was a 

study of the Cuyahoga River which 

flows through Cleveland, Ohio, a 

river which has caught fire a couple 

of times. Basically, we have authority to establish a plan, subject to the 

approval of the Secretary of the 

Army, to restore that river to good 

quality. Actually, the waste water 

study of the Cleveland-Akron area 

has taken over the authorization 

that was originally in the Cuyahoga 

study to a great extent, although we 

are doing both concurrently. The 

Cuyahoga study will be somewhA 

of a peripheral study to the central 

one, which is Cleveland-Akron. Another small study we re-oriented involved the Codorus Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. That study 

is essentially complete and will be 

available for review by the Board of 

Engineers for Rivers and Harbors 

within the next month or two. It is a 

waste water study, undertaken as a 

part of the Susquehanna study. During the Fiscal 1972 appropriation 

hearings, two additional studies 

were added by Congress---a waste 

water study of the Colorado River 

in Texas, and an urban study for 

Omaha. Both are in the pilot study 

stage at the moment. An urban 

study is a bit different than a waste 

water study in that it includes a 

wider range of water problems. 

Waste water is, however, an integral, and in some cases, the dominant component. Confining a study 

to 

difficult 

waste 

because 

water alone 

it has 

is 

a bearing 

somewh 

01. 

?
fi 

storm water and this, in turn, bears 

storm water design for flooding, 

ich relates to water supply and 

perhaps recreation---the whole 

range of water problems for any 

metropolitan area. The newer studies, therefore, are broader in scope, 

but retain waste water as a central 

feature. The President's budget for 

Fiscal Year 1973 proposes seven 

more studies---at Seattle in Puget 

Sound, Spokane, Boise, Duluth, St. 

Louis, Kansas City and Denver. 

engr: These are all in your new 

starts? 

ROPER: These are in the proposed 

new starts in the President's budget. 

In addition, we have received resolutions from the Congressional 

Public Works Committees for quite 

a number of others. Of course, a 

resolution carries no money with it, 

but we have resolutions on Atlanta, 

New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Miami, 

.~ouisville, Lexington and Frankfort, 

.<entucky. As we have gotten into 

this program it has appealed to 

many people---they see that it is 

logical for an agency that's been in 

the water business for a long time to 

come in and try to come up with 

something a little different than the 

conventional processes which so 

many people have found unsatisfactory under today's standards. 

engr: How will the Corps fit into this over-all picture? Will you 

provide the expertise for each of 

these local or state communities? 

ROPER: I would say not necessarily. A lot is going to depend on 

what the local people want. Right 

now, they have three options if they 

want to plan a system. They can do 

it themselves. So long as they meet 

the established standards, no one 

will question that. Another alternais to seek a grant through the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

for planning. Today a grant can be 

obtained to cover as much as 50 

percent of the planning costs. If 

they proceed in either of these ways, 

they will get some technical assistance of some type from the Environmental Protection Agency. The 

third alternative is to seek a necessary appropriation from the Congress for the Corps to come in and 

do a study. In cases involving the 

waste water management element, 

the local community must contribute to the effort so that it thus becomes a truly joint Federal/nonFederal undertaking. So those are 

their choices---they can go it alone, 

they can get a grant from EPA, or 

they can come to the Corps. I think 

more and more people feel that we 

have something extra to offer. I 

think that they are attracted to the 

kind of planning we are prepared to 

do. I don't mean to say that everybody is going to ask us to do it--- 

I'm sure there will be some who 

would rather do it themselves for a 

number of reasons---with a grant 

preferably or without a grant if necessary. But the way this program 

planning seems to be catching on 

around the country, it would appear 

that we are going to have a pretty 

large and diverse undertaking for 

future studies. 

engr: Don't you think this program is long overdue? 

ROPER: Oh, I do. I think that in 

this country we have not really been 

aware until very recently what we 

were doing to our waters. We have 

tended to let economics dominate 

our thinking without realizing that if 

the problem was considered in the 

light of true economics the old way 

of doing things is no longer satisfactory. In other words, it. makes 

good economic sense to try to produce a much higher quality in our 

streams than we have allowed to be 

created in recent years. 

engr: Do you think this problem 

will be solved within the next five 

year period? 

ROPER: It's hard to say. It is 

rather difficult to predict what studies we'll be asked to do, or what 

appropriations we will get. One of 

the foremost questions in my mind 

is when will somebody do something with one of these plans after 

we produce them? This is not within 

our control. I would say that within 

a few years we could cover at least 

the major problem areas in this 

country with plans of the kind I've 

been describing. But how long it 

would take to cover the entire country, and how long it would take the 

country to pick up these plans and 

translate them into effective action, 

I wouldn't venture to guess. 

engr: What about the poor sewage? You have waste flow triggered 

by storms or heavy rains, and there 

are many poor sewage systems 

throughout the country---in Chicago 

or Los Angeles, for instance. How 

do you intend to tackle this problem? Will you ask for new sewage 

systems? Exactly how do you propose to improve that situation? 

ROPER: Again, let's take the 

Chicago metropolitan area for example. Under these systems for 

which we have tentative designs, we 
would design the plans for the land 

treatment facility to accommodate 

the municipal flow, which is pretty 

predictable---the industrial flow, 

which is also pretty predictable---the 

suburban, urban and rural storm 

water run-off up to the 100-year 

frequency storm. Beyond the 100- 

year frequency, if you have a storm 

of greater magnitude than that some 

of this storm run-off would have to 

be diverted to by-pass the treatment 

facility. However, at that point in 

time in a rainstorm the storm runoff is not very contaminated. It's 

relatively clean and, from drinking 

water standards, it is still a pretty 

acceptable product. It's the first 

couple of inches that really give you 

difficulty. Now---how do you do 

that? The concept in Chicago is to 

establish what, in effect, would be 

reservoirs at each of the the treatment plants or at each of the major 

intakes for the land treatment system. Also, abandoned quarries have 

been identified in each location as 

being quite suitable for this---except 

in one place, where it would be proposed to use an existing mine. When 

the storm water begins to come in 

and the capacity of the plant is exceeded, it would be put into this 

holding area rather than diverted 

to streams and then processed 

through the plant as the loads 

gradually increase. For the rural 

areas, we have suggested creation 

of a system of 400 small reservoirs 

or ponds or detention bases in the 

existing streams which would collect 

the storm water run-off and hold it. 

It could then be used for recreation, 

fishing and wild-life purposes, and 

so on. When the lands begin to dry 

out during the summer, the water 

would be put back on the farms 

from which it came by means of an 

irrigation process, or a spray irrigation system. The system which is 

described in the special study for 

Chicago collects all of the municipal 

waste, plus all of the strom run-off 

from the urban, suburban and rural 

areas up to the 100-year figures. In 

speaking of the industrial component of this waste, it should be realized that there will be a few things 

which none of these systems could 

accommodate. An example would 

be some of the toxics which industry 

would have to remove before putting that waste into the system. 

What we're talking about are minute loads in terms of volume. One 

other thing I'd like to point out is 

that if the water is cleaned up more 

is accomplished than just the cleansing. It provides an opportunity for 

re-cycling and re-use-which might 

better be called water supply. I can 

visualize, for example, in the middle 

portion of the Colorado River in 

Texas, that the most sensible way to 

create additional water supply there 

would be to clean up the waste 

water and then use it for the water 

supply, rather than bringing water 

in from some unknown and distant 

source. This would be true anywhere. If there is good clean water 

in the effluent returning to streams 

and lakes, thzn it is there to use 

and, of course, it could be used for 

many things. A land treatment system offers some other possibilities. I 

mentioned the storage lagoons in 

the land treatment area-there's an 

awful lot of water in those. In fact, 

there's enough water there to support the cooling of eleven 5,000 

megawatt nuclear power plants, 

which would meet the needs of the 

Chicago area to the year 2,00& 

Speculate on the introduction ot 

those power plants for a moment. 

They wouldn't be in a location that 

would bother anyone. They 

wouldn't be on the lake front. They 

wouldn't be on the rivers. They 

would be in a location accessible to 

plenty of water for cooling purposes, which would preclude the necessity of cooling towers and comparable systems. Actually, some improvement to the sewage treatment 

program would be realized, because 

by having that water warmer at the 

land treatment site it could be put 

on colder ground and perhaps prolong the season for irrigation. This 

could result in a beneficial digestive 

process. Finally, revenues would be 

derived from taxes for land use and 

water supply which would go a long 

way toward paying for the construction, operation and maintenance of 

this entire system. There also may 

be possibilities for incorporatin? 

solid waste disposal. Some of the 

old treatment plants, for instance, 

could be abandoned if these new 

systems were adopted---whether it 

be a land type system or a plant 

type system. In addition, it may 

very well be that some of those 

abandoned plants could be put to 

other uses for the benefit of the 

community. There are also other 

possibilities. By bringing this clean 

water into Lake Michigan a basis 

for using it later on would be established. In other words, use Lake 

Michigan as a reservoir. Put more 

water in there than is required 

under the law, keep it there, and 

take it out when needed for some 

other purpose. I also think there are 

some significant economical opportunities associated with this system 

that are not readily identified and 

which we did not try to cost in any 

way in our Chicago study. We identified them and gave some order 

magnitude in a couple of cases to 
what it might be, but we didn't re-

:meet a reduction in the cost of the 

system to be realized from power 

revenues. There is still another 

factor which should be considered 

in the land disposal system. Several 

hundred acres of highly productive 

farm land will be created in an area 

which presently has very low productivity. This has some rather significant economic value. 

engr: What would have happened had you identified these problems? How long do you think it 

would have taken for these large 

metropolitan areas to really deteriorate? 

ROPER: I think the nation generally began to get concerned about 

this in the last five to 10 years. In 

some areas of the country, some 

things were done prior to that time. 

The fact that we have primary and 

secondary treatment would indicate 

~~nat there has been some interest. 

But the present high intensity of interest has developed relatively recently. Of course, some progress has 

been made. It wasn't many years 

ago that most of the discharges into 

the Ohio River were completely untreatable while today more than 90 

percent of the discharges get some 

kind of treatment. The Ohio River 

today is a better river than it was 10 

years ago. On the other hand, I 

don't think our progress in putting 

treatment facilities on line, whether 

industrial or municipal, has kept 

pace with our population and economic growth. As a result, we're 

doing a better job of treatment than 

we did in the previous generation. 

We now have a lot more people and 

much more material to treat. We 

were, at best, holding our own, 

which people came to realize was 

not enough. This can be seen in certain specific cases. For instance, 

,make Erie has been called a dying 

lake---which it isn't by any manner 

of means. There are a lot of problems in Lake Erie caused to a very 

considerable extent by nutrients 

such as phosphorous and nitrogen 

that get into the lake in too large a 

quantity as a result of the treatment 

system. Here then, is another case 

where the land treatment in Chicago 

looks awfully good because there, 

for all practical purposes, phosphorous is eliminated as a problem. The 

treatment plant alternative, although 

satisfactory, does not accomplish 

that degree of elimination. When we 

first started working with water, 

people were interested primarily in 

navigation. Our first undertaking, I 

suppose, was the clearing and snagging work that was started on the 

Ohio River back in 1824. We 

stayed with nothing but navigation 

for many, many years. Then people 

started worrying about flood control. The worry started in the lower 

Mississippi Basin where the problem 

was most severe. It gradually 

became identified as a national 

problem because of a bigger concentration of people and the tendency to build in the flood plain and 

so on. Actually, we got into flood in 

some places fairly early. But the big 

push for us to get involved in flood 

control started in 1930 after the big 

floods---particularly on the Ohio. 

We picked up hydroelectric power 

as sort of an adjunct to flood control. If you build a reservoir, why 

not generate some power while 

you're at it to help pay for it? And I 

suppose when the Bureau of Reclamation came into the picture, irrigation became a purpose which we 

also included among our projects. 

After World War 11, we began to 

develop a real interest in recreation. 

We found that these reservoirs 

which we had built without any recreational facilities suddenly became 

magnets and attracted millions of 

people. So the Congress gradually 

responded to the desires of the people and enacted legislation which allowed us to incorporate the recreation feature. Now the national interest has moved into another area---

the purity of water in the streams. 

What we are doing today is in response to that national demand just 

as back in 1924 it was responsive to 

navigation improvement. 

engr: The environment today is 

one of the big programs and we 

would think that the waste water 

program is going to be a large factor in cleaning up the environment. 

ROPER: There's no question about 

that. It certainly is a major aspect of 

the environment. 

engr: Is there any major area in 

the United States where you really 

do not have a waste water pollution 

problem right now? If the answer 

is no, do you have any kind of 

hopeful time schedule that we can 

expect positive action? 

ROPER: The answer is no. We will 

produce studies for four of those 

troublesome areas by the end of this 

year and even before that we'll produce a study for a small troublesowe area and put it on the street. 

From then on it's up to others as to 

how fast they want to go. We can't 

control that. What we have said was 

that we should design systems to 

meet the needs of the year 1990, 

but with components which would 

fit the most urgent character. e 
merica t e Beautifu 


Oh beautiful.. . for spacious skies.. . 

for purple mountains 
in retros 

ENGINEER STAFF 


for amber waves of grain ... 

majesty.. . above the fruited plain. 
-- - 

- - 

America, America.. . God shed His grace on thee.. . 


and crown thy good with brotherhood.. . ---w The alarm has been sounded. It has been heard 

by all and as the debate rages over how badly 

man's technological advances have damaged the 

environment, the engineer has taken an obiective 

approach. It has been said that man has terribly 

upset the ecological balance of his planet with his 

I "soft living" habits. It also has been said that the 

I' so-called "environmental emergency" is nothing 

I 

6.1 

more /than poor management of scientitic and technological problems. These photos were taken by 

engineer staffers within a 200-mile radius of the 

Nation's Capitol. They prove that there is a pollution problem and that we must act---NOW! e 

6 


from sea to shining sea. 

'I-.'-- - ' 

-= 
Capt. Mark W. Miller 

,-

_I *L 

ne of the most famous European landmarks still 

stands today in all its splendor in Pisa, Italy. But the 

"Leaning Tower of Pisa," as any engineer knows, is the 

premier example of foundation failure. Completed in 

2r the 14th century on an uneven subsoil of volcanic ash, 

the tower is now more than 17 feet out of plumb in a 

height of 179 feet. 

And the United States almost compounded this engineering imperfection with an infamous landmark of its 

own---the Washington Monument. Needless to say, if 

the monument that was erected in the Nation's capital 

to honor the "Father of our Country," today had a tilt 

comparable to the "Leaning Tower of Pisa," the structure not only would be degrading to the man it purports 

to revere but embarrassing to the country and engineers 

who condoned its construction. 

How many persons know that the Washington Monument had, in fact, moved out of plumb before it was 

even one-third completed? Not many! And how many 

engineers realize that the difficult task of completing the 

"leaning" monument was assigned to the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers? 

The construction of the monument originally was 

launched in 1848 by civilian engineers under the direction of the Washington National Monument Society. 

Within six years, however, the Society had exhausted all 

of its funds and had to stop construction at the 156- 

foot-level. In 1876, some 22 years later, Congress appropriated the necessary funds to resume the construcfl	tion under government ownership and by the direction 

of the Corps of Engineers. 

Before beginning construction, the Corps examined 

the sufficiency of the foundation and found three major 

problems: One, the foundation rested upon a compressible layer of fine sand and clay that was already loaded 

to its limit. Two, the foundation was out of plumb and 

this was causing the top of the monument to tip 1.4 

inches to the northwest. Three, additional weight, naturally, would increase the total amount of the inclination. 

The first construction the Corps undertook, therefore, 

was to strengthen and enlarge the original foundation. 

To accomplish this task, 70 percent of the earth upon 

which the monument stood was removed from around 

the perimeter of the old foundation and replaced with a 

concrete slab 13.5 feet thick. 

The effect of this effort was to enlarge the pyramidal 

shaped base from 80 to 126.5 feet square and from 

23.33 to 36.83 feet deep. Next, concrete underpinnings 

were built out onto the new slab, requiring the removal 

of 51 percent of the old foundation. These buttresses 

served to distribute the weight of the monument over 

the entire surface area of the enlarged foundation base. 

This difficult and delicate excavation work was not 

completed without some disturbance to the 156-foot 

in-place column. The entire column settled an average of 

two inches, with the southeast corner settling almost .5 

inches more than the northwest corner. This uneven 

settlement, however, was completely controlled by the 

engineers and actually served to straighten the monument from its known deflection of 1.4 inches northwest 

into a vertical position. Furthermore, this truly remarkable engineering achievement did not cause the slightest 

crack in any joint of the monument. 

In 1880, after three years of diligent effort, the foundation work was completed. The remainder of the monument's construction was accomplished quite rapidly, 

except for occasional delays caused by material shortages. 

When the engineers placed the capstone at the 555- 

foot-5%-inch level in December of 1884, the Corps 

completed a distinguished chapter in its growing history. It is perhaps not so surprising to note that Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L. Casey, the officer responsible 

for strengthening the foundation and completing the 

structure to its full height, became the U.S. Army's 

Chief of Engineers only four years later. e 

Captain Mark W. Miller is a recent graduate of the 

Engineer Oficer Advanced Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was recently presented the Henry Larcom 

Abbot Award for excellence in writing based on his 

presentation of "America's Leaning Tower of Pisa." 

Therefore shall the land w eueryone that 

dwelleth therein shall languash wtth the beasts of 

the field, and with the fowls of heaven; ye4 the 

fishes of the sea also shall be taken may. 

Holy Bible Hosea 4:3 

Once again the bugler's call for help has been 

sounded to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Neither 

is the enemy armed nor will the fight be waged in 

some remote corner of the world 10,000 miles away. 

The enemy is pollution and the battle will be fought 

"in our own backyard." 

The fight is on to save the environment of this 

nation, and the Corps has been tasked to draft a battle 

plan. The Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency will lend all possible assistance, but the onus for actual work has been placed 

directly in the able hands of the Corps of Engineers. 

Some experts, however, regard this action as being 

about 70 years too late. They regard America 3s 

already being in an advanced state of environmental 

decay because of negligence. At some point in time 

over the past three-quarters of a century, those charged 

with care of the patient began to pay less and less 

,iqattention to its health. Now the remedial measures that 

are expected to provide some relief may well prove to 

be ineffective. The underlying cause of the illness has 

been diagnosed as "environmental neglect." Many are 

responsible. 

At one time the air was pure, the earth was fertile 

and water was sparkling clean-long ago, before man 

inhabited the land. As we now move into "the environmental decade," we do so with the realization that 

pollutants have begun to threaten man's very existence. 

The natural environment has suffered from technological progress and modern man's "instant" life style. 

The true culprit is man. The Corps must find the answers to many complex questions in this ecological 

struggle for survival. In the process, it may well be determined that man himself has only himself to blame. 

The battle plan calls for two Corps of Engineers directorates-Military Construction and Civil Works-to 

carry the fight on all fronts against pollution. 

The Directorate of Military Construction, headed 

by Major General D. A. Raymond, is charged with 

the tremendous responsibility of eliminating pollution 

from within the Army establishment. The Civil Works 

Directorate, under the leadership of Major General John 

W. Morris, is deeply concerned with and involved in 

conservation-related fields. 

President Richard M. Nixon has called this the 

"environmental decade," and has taken definitive action to counteract many of the harmful practices that 

are responsible for the alarming deterioration in the 

environmental and ecological condition of America. 

When the President signed the National Environmental Policy Act (Public Law 91-190) into law on 

January 1, 1970, the national policy governing environment changed. The new law directed the U.S. Army, 

among other Federal agencies, to carefully consider 

factors having possible influence on the environment 

in their decision-making process or in making a determination as to a course of action. Federal agencies can 

no longer slight environmental concerns in pursuit of 

accomplishing their primary missions without definitive 

plans to offset the development of possible harmful side 

effects. In the past, traditional quantitative factors such 

as costs involved and engineering feasibility for a project, usually took precedence over in-depth consideration 

of the environmental impact. This is no longer true. 

It is anticipated that controls for the protection and 

enhancement of the human environment-Federal, 

regional, state, and local-will, in the near future, 

become more and more rigid. 

President Nixon has proposed a number of pollution control measures which are applicable to Army 

posts, camps, and stations. He has asked for an improved program to cleanse our waters, and to recycle 

wastes into useable materials. Under his recommended 

program, the use of pesticides will be restricted. Precipitate poisons will be banned on public lands, and 

toxic wastes will be regulated. By 1976, sulphur oxide 

expelled from smokestacks will be curtailed and the 

monies available for research into noise abatement will 

be increased. 

The Corps of Engineers will play a major role in 

implementing, in detail, the broad guidelines set forth 

by the President. In fact, the Department of Defense 

and the Army, through the Chief of Engineers, 

Lieutenant General Frederick J. Clarke, already have 

taken steps to upgrade the operation and design of 

existing Army facilities by providing for research in 

support of master planning, design, construction, op 

eration, maintenance, and disposition of such facilities. 

These activities are in various stages of planning and 

implementation today. 

Concurrently with this program of qualitative improvement of existing military facilities to conform to 

current air and water pollution standards, the Chief 

of Engineers also faces the need for identifying the 

Army's role in environmental protection and enhancement in connection with short, intermediate, and longrange military construction. 

The Corps is continually engaged in construction 

projects to insure that existing Army facilities confonn 
Petroleum contamination of open 

streams, such as this one, leaves 

damaging effects on the woody 

vegetation around the banks. The 

effects have been verified by analyzing tree ring growth over periods of time, ranging as long as 

15 years. 

to current water and air pollution safeguards. In these 

two vit:~l arcas, the Army has more than doubled 

~nonics spcnt on water pollution control safeguardsfrom S 16-million in FY 1968, to allnost $35-million 

in FY 1973. In FY 1972. fund expenditures for air 

pollution control safcgunrds were 15 times those of 

FY 1968. 

Thc watcr pollution control program involves a 

numbcr of various typcs of projects, such as secondary 

sewage trcatrncnt, industrial wastc treatment, washrack 

grcasc interceptors. separation of storm and sanitary 

sewers, and wastc ncutralization. 

! Air pollution control embraces such projects as fuel 

conversion, substitution of land fills for incinerators, i 

): prccipitators for boilers, and fume scrubbers. Most of 

these pollution control measures are state-of-the-art 

/ applications. Quite recently. however, the Army came 

up with a solution to a nagging pollution problem which 

i it anticipates will have a far-reaching impact on-and 

; prove to be advantageous to-industrial firms. 

I A forthcoming project, sponsored jointly by the Army 

and the Environmental Protcction Agency, is designed 

to demonstrate to industry a means of controlling 

nitrogen oxide emissions from nitric acid plants. The 

Army has several such plants and is deeply concerned 

" with the latest developments in nitrogen oxide control. 

One such plant is at the Holston Army Ammunition '1 Plant at Kingsport, Tennessee. 

1 The planned project involves the demonstration of 1 a molccular sieve which has been developed by the U.S. 

I 	 Ar~ny Construction Engincering Research Laboratory 

to control nitrogen oxide cmissions from nitric acid 

The lnolecular sieve process involvcs a catalyst 

bed which absorbs the oxides of nitrogen. It is regenerated periodically by driving off the nitrogen oxide 

with heated air and returning its concentrated steam 

to the manufacturing process. 

Engineer experts in the field say the demonstration 

should prove it possible to meet current emission 6)',, 

standards promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency and, hopefully, will enhance future standards by achieving emission of one-quarter of that being 

expelled into the atmosphere today. 

The Corps recognizes that one of the more important 

aspects of the battle against pollution is the necessity 

of educating those in positions of responsibility where 

corrective mcasures can be initiated. The Office of 

the Chief of Engineers has embarked upon a program 

designed to insure that all possible information available is disseminated to engineering personnel through 

a series of five-day environlnental workshops conducted at field and headquarters activities for those 

actively involved. In these workshops, students and instructors exchange information on environmental problems, new technology, and possible solutions to the 

problcms which pollution imposes. They also review 

current Federal laws and guidelines, and particular 

emphasis is placed on the requirements for Corps 

"Environmental Impact Statements." Thus far, the 

workshop approach has been acclaimed a success because it has brought into sharper focus problems connected with the improvement of environmental pollution 

as related to the planning, designing, constructing, and 

operation of military installations. 

The Chief of Engineers has been constant in his 

(/I

i 18 
Stream pollution is often caused 

by the structural failure of the 

#? storm drain and outlet energy dis-

, ; sipator. When this happens, as pic-

, ' tured here, the unstable downstream channel is scoured. 

, : 

efforts to keep abreast of such problems involving 

Army construction. A modest research effort was made 

in 1970 to determine the immediate, mid-range and 

long range needs of Army construction. For these 

categories, the objectives established were-

* Immediate-to provide assistance in meeting 

present standards. 

Mid-Range-to provide the means with which to 

apply the "best Practical Technology" by 1976. 

Long-Range-to provide a way to reach zero 

pollutant emission by 1981. 

The Corps also is trying to provide all possible 

practical means of enhancing the quality of the human 

environment on military installations. New information 

will be reflected as guidance in appropriate Engineer 

design and construction manuals, guide specifications, 

and directives. 

At the installation level, the Facilities Engineer 

is tasked with the responsibility of influencing the 

quality of the environment. How well his organization 

collects, treats, controls, and disposes of such forms 

of waste as domestic sewage, industrial wastes, solid 

waste in the fonn of garbage, stack emissions and 

fly ash from heating plants, and vehicle exhaust emissions, will have a direct bearing on the quality of both 

the environment at the facility as well as the environment immediately surrounding it. 

The Engineer Research Systems Laboratory has 

been busy too. In 1971, the laboratory program was 

directed primarily toward assisting management in 

defining the environment and in the preparation of 

environmental impact statements. To date, the Corps 

has filed 542 environmental impact statements (236 

drafts and 306 final statements) with the Council on 

Environmental Quality. Steps were also taken to find 

ways to abate pollution by classifying effluent characteristics, by defining impacts associated with all categories of construction operations and by developing 

criteria for separation of housing and noise sources. 

The Corps has initiated contracts with two schools 

that may have interesting results. One was initiated in 

1970 with the Florida Institute of Technology to conduct basic studies of the effects of gamma radiation. 

Hopefully, these basic studies will determine the 

economics and effectiveness of radiation for sewage 

treatment or the recycling of waste water. 

The second significant contract was initiated in 1971 

with the Virginia Military Institute Research Laboratories. Its purpose was to develop detailed information 

and to analyze environmental impacts associated with 

all known categories of construction operations such 

as large scale land clearing, burning, excavation, blasting, paving, and building. Information generated by 

this contract is expected to define areas in which the 

Army can take corrective action in those troop and 

contract construction activities which introduce air and 

water pollution or adversely effect the quality of the 

human environment in other ways. 

Corps of Engineers plans for Calendar Year 1972 

include increased efforts in environmental quality management, pollution abatement, and utilities conservation. 

The expanded program in environmental quality 

management will-

@ Define environmental decision points associated 

with planning. 
. Permafrost degradation is common in Arctic and sub-Arctic 

regions. It takes only one summer 

season in those areas for exposed 

r) 

ice and permafrost to melt enough 

to cause the erosion that has 

severely lowered the surface of the 

embankment pictured here to this 

degree. In this particular case, it is 

hoped that the vegetative mat will 

eventually slump over the bank to 

control further degradation. 

Develop sources of information and procedures 

for environmental impact assessment. 

Develop automated environmental data. 

Review and exploit technology developments. 

* Develop methods of defining site environmental 

characteristics or base line data. 

The expanded pollution abatement program will-

* Complete definition of effluent characteristics now 

and in the future. 

Evaluate construction activity impacts and means 

for controlling them. 

Evaluate performance and cost of existing abatement systems and define any needed revisions. 

Develop advanced abatement systems. 

Define solid waste management techniques for 

theater of operations. 

The expanded utilities conservation program will-

* Develop overall installation (community) concepts 

for reducing the magnitude of pollution sources such 

as fuel combustion, solid and liquid waste, and water 

consumption. 

Review and improve operating and maintenance 

procedures. 

Evaluate potential of low pollution energy sources. 

All of these programs are being planned and conducted at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering 

Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army Cold Regions 

Research and Engineering Laboratory, the U.S. Army 

Engineer Waterways Experiment Stations, and the U.S. 

Army Engineer Power Group. 

After seeing an overview of the Military Construction Directorate mission in the pollution firefight, let's 

take a look at the other side of the coin. The Civil 

Works Dircctorate has a tremendous task ahead in its 

quest to arrest pollution and clean up the environment. 

The Civil Works people currently have more than 

300 ongoing environmental protection projects in the 

mill--dam building, navigation, flood control, estuary 

preservation, and recreational facilities. c\, 

Highlights of some of the Civil Works projects are- ,' 

Item. The Corps, as the principal planner and 

developer of America's water resources, has responded 

to the changing needs of the nation for the various 

benefits of water resources development. Planning techniques arc being scrutinized and revised to insure that 

they accurately reflect concern for environmental 

values. 

Item. Many Division and District Engineers have 

established internal and ad hoc advisory committees 

to screen all laws, executive orders, regulations, and 

directives to assure compliance and to identify environmental problems. And right now District Engineers 

are modifying their planning procedures to insure early 

and continuing public participation, early and continuing consideration of environmental factors, and 

vigorous exploration of a full range of project alternatives. 

Item. Environmental specialists have been added 

to the staffs of the Planning Division of the Civil 

Works Directorate, thc Board of Engineers for Rivers 

and Harbors, the Waterways Experiment Station, the 

Institute for Water Resources, and the Coastal Engineering Research Center. 

Item. The program to provide new water supply 

and sewage treatment facilities at public use areas on 41 

Corps projects has been accelerated and expanded. 
Item. Provisions have been made for sanitary (m dump stations for holding tanks in travel trailers and 

boats at Corps recreation areas. 

Item. The reservoir operation schedule has been 

reviewed and changed to enhance fish spawning, hold 

higher water levels during the recreation seasons, minimize later summer exposure of mud flats, and to provide 

additional flows for downstream water quality. 

Item. Civil Works has conducted, sponsored, and 

participated in many litter clean-up campaigns on Corps 

projects. 

Item. Civil Works has instituted procedures and 

actions to dress up the appearance and make better 

utilization of soil banks, borrow pits, and quarry areas 

to include landscaping and sodding with grasses. 

Item. Civil Works has eliminated open pit burning 

on Corps projects through conversion of waste disposal 

to sanitary land fills. 

Item. Field offices have expanded their efforts 

in preparing and implementing forest management pla!ls 

and ecological vegetative management plans on complete projects. 

Item. Civil Works has incorporated leases, licenses, 

and concession agreements of stringent conditions regarding environmental quality standards and activities 

that may degrade the quality of the environment. 

Item. Civil Works has modified all Corps of Engineers' floating plant installations to provide adequate 

facilities for the treatment or retention of sewage. 

Item. Civil Works holds pre-construction conferences with the contractor to review and discuss environmental aspects of the work, the plant layout, location 

of construction roads and living areas to minimize their 

impact on the environment. 

Item. Civil Works continues to expand vector and 

pest control programs. 

Item. Civil Works continues to expand tree planting programs. 

One of the major programs of the Corps, of course, 

is the entire water resource development planning 

process. Many steps are being taken to involve the 

public in the program and to keep it apprised of the 

processes and mechanisms through which water resources problems are investigated and solved by the 

Corps. The Institute for Water Resources, for instance, 

is continuing the development of communication skills 

and techniques and consultant services for training and 

application by field planners to increase the effectiveness and scope of public involvement in planning. 

And speaking about water, there is a story about 

our present water resources posture. It seems that a 

distinguished scientific researcher was participating in 

a panel discussion with other learned scholars recently 

to report on the results of a comprehensive study of 

the nation's future water supply in which he and his 

colleagues had been involved. 

"Gentlemen," the scientist said, "I have some good 

news and some bad news for you. Our study shows 

that by the year 2020 everyone in the United States 

will be drinking recycled sewage from his home water 

tap." 

"Great Scott!" came a response from one of the 

panel members. "Quick, tell us the good news." "My 

friend," responded the scientist, "that was the good 

news. The bad news is that there won't be enough to 

go around." 

It probably is not all as bad as the scientist would 

make one believe, but the facts are clear that water, 

the resource-local, regional, or continental-may no 

longer be treated as an off-the-shelf item in great 

supply. 

The Corps is working from the set of Environmental 

Guidelines developed by the Institute for Water Resources and adopted in 1970, to solve the ecological 

dilemma. These guidelines now constitute both the 

policy and the working regulations on the environmental aspects of all phases of the civil works program. 

There are four basic objectives in the Environmental 

Guidelines toward which the Corps' environmentrelated activities are being directed. They are: to preserve important ecological, esthetic, and cultural values; 

to conserve resources and use them wisely; to maintain 

and enhance the quality and attractiveness of the 

environment; and to create new opportunities for the 

use and enjoyment of the total natural heritage. 

The guidelines actually provide a detailed check list 

of measures that are to be taken in pursuance of the 

policies and objectives through all stages of project 

formulation. 

With the guidelines to help it along, the Corps has 

been instrumental in the development of the Water 

Resources Council's multiple objective planning approach. Also five regional waste water management 

planning feasibility studies (see interview beginning 

on page 4) have been initiated in major metropolitan 

areas around the country under present authorities and 

funds and in close cooperation with the Environmental 

Protection Agency. 

The Corps faces a long, hard grind in its battle 

to arrest pollution on all fronts and lead the way in 

bringing environmental considerations into the resource 

allocation and development process. It has met the 

challenge head-on and expects to come out the winner. 

There might be another guideline for the Corps 

of Engineers to consider in the herculean attempt to 

protect and enhance the environment of this great 

nation-Davy Crockett's wise observation of 150 years 

ago: "Make sure you're right, then go ahead." e 
Captain Lawrence D. Allwine 

m 
 # 

ractically every day we read, hear, or smell something concerning pollution. One of the least mentioned 

forms of pollution but one receiving more attention 

each day is solid waste---garbage, wrecked cars, cans, 

newspapers, and bottles. Current estimates indicate that 

250 million tons of household, commercial, and 

municipal refuse are annually generated in our nation. 

We have turned into a "Use It-Throw It Away" 

thanks a remarkable technology that has 

made a thrOw-awa~Wntainer the most desirable way to 

package things. The amount of solid waste collected 

from each person has increased from 2.75 pounds 

in 1920 to 5.3 pounds in 1968 and is expected to reach 

eight pounds by 1980. What will happen to it? 

The landfill is presently the recommended 

method for the dispusal of solid waste. It is a simple 

procedure which involves placing successive layers of 

compacted waste and fill dirt in prepared excavations or 

open areas until a predetermined fill elevation is reached. 

Ingenious schemes for using the land after fills are 

have been devised, such as parking 

lots, golf courses, parks and housing developments. 

Other methods of disposal also are being tried. A Japanese firm has compressed solid waste into blocks which 

are then coated with asphalt or cement and used as 

construction material. Some United States firms have 

shredded solid waste and used it as a soil conditioner in 

an attempt to make our desert areas bloom. Others 

have tried burning solid waste to supply heat for power 

plants. And some of our larger cities have built incinerators to reduce the total volume of solid material going 

into their landfills. ;- ~f we continue to rely on the sanitary landfill method 

to meet our future needs we will be limited by the 

availability of land. It has been estimated that the landfill method requires one acre of land for every 10,000 

glass, metals and other inorganic waste do nothing for 

soil enrichment or contribute little for the conversion of 

water to steam or powerplants. Incineration just delays 

the inevitable---exhaustion of our available land. 

The Corps of Engineers plays a significant role in 

solid waste disposal because of the hundreds of military 

installations that the U.S. operates worldwide. 

Each of these installations share the common problem 

of solid waste disposal. This problem, of course, is of 

primary concern to the Facilities Engineer at each post, 

camp, or station. At the Army Engineer Center, Fort 

Belvoir, Virginia, for example, more than 40,000 cubic 

yards of loose solid waste is deposited in the sanitary 

landfill each month. So, it is easy to see that the Corps 

of Engineers has a personal interest in finding new and 

better ways to dispose of solid waste. 

You might ask yourself this question. Why should I 

be concerned with solid waste? You should be concerned even if you are not a soldier because it involves f-), 

all of us as individual Americans. Local sanitation deand the corpsof ~~~i~~~~ deal with the 

problem every passing day. We each contribute our 

share of the more than five pounds of solid waste per 

day. In addition, our population continues to increase 

by leaps and bounds. This increases the burden of handling solid waste disposal in this country each year. 

From these simple facts, it should be clear that we 

are slowly depleting the available supply ground that 

suitable to be used for landfill purposes. When we 

have run Out ground, what are Our 

alternatives? The answers are still to come. Facilities 

Engineers on military installations and their civilian 

counterparts in the communities across this nation will 

have to find other ways dispose waste Or we 

will begin burying ourselves in our own trash. The late 

people each year for disposal of their solid waste. ~1~0, Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khmshchev, once 

the increasing use of packaged products in non-returnaMe containers (prepackaged meats and vegetables, milk 

cartons, bottles, and cans) multiplies the amount of 

solid material that is thrown away each year. 

stirred the world during an address at the United Nations- He pointed to the representatives of the United 

States at that historic meeting and said, "We will bury 

you!" Those strong words never were put to the test but 

Experts have estimated that the current available this could bury in Wash. 

land in New York City will be exhausted by 1975. Some things are being done. The Corps of Engineers 

When the available land is depleted other methods of has been doing limited studies on how to cope with 

disposal will have to be used. These other methods, solid waste disposal. But due to the lack of sufficient 4) 

unfortunately, have few beneficial qualities. Abandoned funding, the Corps has not been able to devote the 
necessary effort to properly develop and evaluate its 

(mrams. Various commercial industries are conduct111stheir own research in the hope of coming up with 

workable solutions to the problem of solid waste disposal. Now in the development stage is a promising new 

technique called recycling. This is a process that sepa- , rates the basic elements of solid waste---pulp, glass, 

plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, aod other organic materials---into usable products. 

The Black Clawson Company has taken a leading 

step in the recycling field. The company has successfully developed "Hydrasposal" and "Fiberclaim" plants 

that can separate paper fibers, ferrous and non-ferrous 

metals, and glass from 40,000 pounds of mixed solid 

waste each day. 

Local industries also have found the "Hydrasposal" 

and "Fiberclaim" plants valuable sources of raw materials. Other successful applications of the use of recycled 

products include the composting of organic waste for 

soil fertilization, use of pulp in paper towels, and use of 

reclaimed aluminum for making new cans. The eventual 

successful use of these applications looks very promising at this time. But the experts claim that more research and development must be performed on recycling techniques before we will be able to produce the 

more efficient separation processes we need. 

mhis places the Corps of Engineers in a challenging 

pdsition. It already has placed its foot in the door of the 

problem. Why not open it all the way by placing more 

emphasis on solving the growing problem of solid 

waste. Developing more efficient recycling processes 

would be a giant step in the right direction. 

President Nixon in his 1970 message to Congress on 

the environment said, "As we look toward the longrange future in 1980-2000 and beyond, recycling of 

materials will become increasingly necessary not only 

for waste disposal but also to conserve resources. While 

our population grows, each one of us keeps using more 

and more of our earth's resources. In the case of many 

common minerals, more than half of those extracted 

from the earth since time began had been extracted 

since 1910. A great deal of our space research has been 

directed towards creating self-sustaining environments 

in which people can live for long periods of time by 

reprocessing, recycling, and reusing the same materials." What the President said means we cannot regard 

solid waste entirely as something of little or no value, 

but rather as a resource, something to be recovered and 

re-used whenever possible and practical. 

The secondary material industry is a major and vital 

part of our economy and, hopefully, is in a logarithmic 

pwth stage. The National Association of Secondary 

..laterials Industries, Inc. (NASMI), has in the past 

year taken as its theme "Recycling Resources," and 

although the organization has not received much public 

attention, it has been of vital importance to industries 

with scrap problems. NASMI companies have a gross 

volume in excess of $7-billion. These companies annually process more than three million tons of nonferrous scrap metals for consumption by smelters, refiners, 

and ingot makers. They make available 45 percent of 

the copper used in new products, more than 50 percent 

of the domestic lead supply, 30 percent of all aluminum, and 18 percent of all zinc. More than 11-million 

tons of paper stock are recovered and processed by this 

industry for reuse. The average company investment is 

in excess of $1.3-million, quite a distinct change from 

the individual collector of many years ago. 

Everyone is, or should be aware that the major component of municipal refuse is paper. Approximately half 

of the waste collected in our cities is paper in varying 

quality. Paper is already recycled at about a 20 percent 

level in the U.S.; other nations, notably those with a 

short supply of wood pulp, do a far better job. Japan 

recycles about half of its waste paper, and most European countries, such as West Germany, France, Great 

Britain, and Spain, recycle approximately one-third of 

theirs. We should hope our Nation increases its percentage of reused fibers. 

One final, and possibly the most important reason 

why we all should be concerned with developing an 

efficient system of recycling solid waste into reusable 

products is the fact that we are exhausting our supplies 

of natural resources. Whenever an oil field is drained, 

an ore vein is depleted, or a forest is harvested, another 

one is located and worked until the resources are depleted. If we continue with our present "Use It-Throw 

It Away" philosophy, we will gradually exhaust our 

natural resources. 

It does not take a mastermind to deduce that we 

have entered a race for survival. Our opponent, solid 

waste, is one that we have created and continue to feed 

with more and more non-returnable bottles and cans. 

Are we going to allow that enemy to overtake us and 

bury us in our own affluence? Or are we going to 

develop what appears to be the only long-range solution 

to the problems of solid waste disposal and the exhaustion of our natural resources? Someone will have to 

come up with a winning solution before we find ourselves buried beneath the trash and recycled back to 

dust. e 

Captain Lawrence D. Allwine is a recent graduate of 

the Engineer Oficer Advanced Course at Fort Belvoir, 

Virginia. He saw service in Vietnam as a Facilities 

Engineer, supporting the Korean Tiger Division and 

holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from 

Ohio University. 
Captain Lawrence A. Willwerth, Ill 

A group of young long-hairs gathered in front of 

the White House recently and sounded a clarion note 

amidst the usual protest invective. They screamed "stop 

pollution" and their various signs read, "Ban Smog," 

"Give Us Clean Air and Water," and "Put Sludge In 

Orbit." 

The news media seizcd upon the situation and tlioroughly exploited the issue. In fact, the demonstration 

and those like it have become a standard bill-of-fare on 

our evening television news programs. 

Reaction to the demonstration was mixed. Some citizens showed little or no concern; others were worried. 

But at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the reaction amounted to 

acute indignation. 

"Those blasted kids. What do they want, anyway? 

Riots! Demonstrations! Everything is going topsy-turvy 

these days!" responded a Sergeant Major. 

"You're right, Sarge," chided a Major. "These kids 

are tearing this country apart." 

And a soft-spoken secretary lamented, "I don't know 

where it will end. I just don't know what they want." 

"They don't know either," added the Sergeant Major. 

"They are only after the publicity. They don't know 

how lucky they are to be here today." 

It is easy, sometimes, for those of us in the military 

to subscribe to a little self-righteous indignation based 

on our spit-shined, close-cropped approach to the 

grooming of our reservations and camps. And anyhow 

---can the kids really be right about this pollution thing? 

After all, what they really want is a youthful leftist takeover of the government---or do they? 

Let's take a closer look at pollution and then make 

an excursion into our own backyard. 

Litter, one of the easiest kinds of pollution for the 

layman to identify, has been a problem for years a#\, 

joke toathe average American. Water pollution, too, rids 

been with us for decades but is characteristically more 

difficult to identify. And the list goes on and on. 

But we know about all of this now, thanks to the 

yellow journalism which has sensationalized disasters 

such as oil spills and widespread incidence of lead poisoning. We are all concerned, military and civilians 

alike. And as we shall soon see by what may be found in 

our own backyard, none of us are immune to pollution's infection. 

Executive Order 11507, entitled "Prevention, Control and Abatement of Pollution at Federal Facilities," 

was introduced by President Richard M. Nixon in Feb- , 

ruary of 1970 as an official acknowledgement that the 

Federal Government shares the indictment as a "polluter" with commercial and private enterprise alike. The 

order is the culmination of many years of government 

activity in the field of environmental quality protection 

and dictates new guidance for all government agencies 

concerned. The order also extends the existing "Clean 

Air and Federal Water Pollution Control Acts" and 

initiates a policy whereby the government provides national leadership in the protection and enhancement of 

our air and water resources. 

Under Section IV, Standards, it states, "Heads o&\.4 

Federal agencies shall insure that all facilities under 
Here is a drainage ditch that flows directly into the 

Potomac River (top photo). Waste oil is constantly dumped 

.'.?,his area from the equipment park, causing permanent ! tarnin in at ion of the entire section. The lower photo shows 

how the improper use of collection cans leads to direct 

dumping of oil on the ground. 

their jurisdiction are designed, operated, and maintained so as to meet specific requirements." Another 

standard cited was the control, handling, and disposal 

of waste oil lubricants, a subject with which we will 

concern ourselves in the examination of pollution in our 

own backyard. 

Executive Order 11 507 specified that, "all installations must initiate actions to meet these standards by 

December 3 1, 1972." A later and additional Executive 

Order Number 1 15 14, "Protection and Enhancement of 

Environmental Quality," added that "all agencies are 

directed to continually monitor these quality standards." 

In view of these directives and existing Federal dictates, each military installation was faced with the enormous task of problem identification and qualitative and 

quantitative analysis of collected data. Each had to develop a system of reasonable controls and subsequently 

decide how to minimize or rectify existing damage. 

Installation engineers were tasked to determine just 

what reasonable controls would be needed and decide 

just how to clean up and rectify whatever damage had 

been done. The requirements came at a poor time---decreasing Federal funds, reduced manpower resources, 

and inflated higher costs. 

To try to solve the overall pollution problem, the 

U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers was saddled with the 

responsibility of cleaning up the environment for everyone. They hoped to do this through a system of controls and inspections that would ensure an end to the 

pollution problems of the United States and with it an 

end to the sign-carrying protestors. 

So, the Corps went out to inspect the cities, the 

factories, the rivers, and the commercial concerns. But 

what about our own backyard? What about the enormous amounts of waste oils and lubricants that are 

being discarded on the ground at almost every U.S. 

military installation in the world? 

When we look into our own backyard, what do we 

see? Is it clean? Or do the kids really have something 

here? For a real close look, let us examine a recent 

survey that was conducted at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 

"Home of tbe Army Engineers." Fort Belvoir is a picturesque Army post located some 23 miles south of the 

Nation's capital. Resting securely along the lovely 

green banks of the Potomac River, it is only about five 

miles north of historic Mount Vernon, the home of our 

founding father, George Washington. 

The Facilities Engineer at Fort Belvoir had long 

known of the continued waste oil spillage on the post 

and tried to control it through supply, fie, and command inspections. The problem was self-evident. Wherever vehicles were stored and maintained, there were oil 

spills on the ground. All the streams that drained from 

these areas were murky with oil slick and flowed into 
the once beautiful Potomac River. Storm drains showed 

definite evidence of oil durnpage. Even with strict control and continued inspections, the problem remained. 

To bring command emphasis to the magnitude of the 

situation, a physical waste oil survey was conducted for 

the Facilities Engineer. 

The first item on the agenda was to get an accurate 

assessment of the total gallons of waste oil that contributed directly to pollution. This action had to be completed in order to fully identify the problem. 

There were a number of probing questions that had 

to be explored and answered. What were the results? 

How large was the quantity of waste oil that was being 

generated? How much of this waste oil was not being 

accounted for through property disposal channels or 

commercial pick-up contracts? 

A look at the petroleum supply catalog and the Petroleum Oil and Lubrication POL issue point at Fort 

Belvoir indicated that the engineer experts needed to 

consider all of the main lube oils separately. 

Engineer personnel selected 41 Federal Stock Number items as indicative of the lube oils being used at 

Fort Belvoir. Then they made a composite list of all 

units stationed on the installation. The total lube oil 

issues for all of the on-post units were collected and 

tabulated. A one-year time span was used to determine 

a basis of issue. Also, a physical inventory was conducted to determine an accurate average of the usage of 

all oil that was being issued to the on-post units. 

A tabulation of the oil issue revealed that about 

33,000 gallons were being distributed per year. Waste 

oil turned into the Property Disposal Office (PDO) 

during the survey period was about 6,000 gallons. Also, 

some 9,000 gallons of waste oil was collected by commercial contract from major agencies on the installation. The total gallons of waste oil that was turned in 

still left about an 18,000 gallon differential. Allowing 

for minimal oil consumption in vehicles and pilferage of 

stock, it is estimated that about 17,000 gallons of waste 

oil accumulates on the grounds of the Fort Belvoir 

complex during a year's time. 

To verify the amount of waste oil that was produced 

at Fort Belvoir, engineers tabulated the equipment density for all the units. Then they determined the oil 

capacities of each of the types of equipment. Proper 

maintenance services for each type of equipment was 

used as a yardstick to determine how much waste oil 

was being produced. 

This type of action initiated by engineers at Fort 

Belvoir only identifies a portion of the problem of petroleum pollution. To make such information more 

complete and valuable, a questionnaire should be distributed to all pertinent units. The questionnaire could 

easily be expanded to include fuels and other pollution 

Here waste oil is collected from equipment that was 

dumped down a storm drain. 

items. Thus, armed with information from both the 

consumer and the supplier, the study would be&',, 

more valid because it reflects a more realistic situatlull. 

The units should be given the opportunity to present 

their problem areas in waste oil disposal. For example, 

at Fort Belvoir it was noted not too long ago that waste 

oil could only be turned in to the PDO in a yellow, 

stenciled, 55 gallon drum---a near impossibility. A good 

part of regular issue lube oil is contained in smaller 

drums. A unit without access to the larger drum had the 

problem of how to turn in its waste oil. What could the 

unit do when it did not have the capacity to store the 

waste, nor the container with which to turn it in? The 

PDO specified "yellow" drums but there was a scarcity 

of that color of paint. And there was still another 

factor. The PDO had considerable difficulty in selling 

the containers of used oil to the commercial market. 

All the aforementioned difficulties must definitely be 

considered as major factors that contributed to improper waste oil disposal at that installation. But there 

also must be an understanding of the situation at both 

command and unit levels to fully appreciate the problem. Improper waste disposal, it seems, is a breakdown 

of command emphasis on enforcement and a failure to 

provide the user with alternatives. 

There were still other problems at Fort Belvoir. Military personnel were seen dumping waste oil from t 

private automobiles in secluded areas of the post. .p'i .A 

was noticed primarily at abandoned motor pool grease 
Note the color of water and the erosion at this drainage 

point from two unit areas. 

racks. In addition to an apparent lack of control of 

roiltine enforcement practices, this points up the simple 

f:(r\hat an individual need is not being met. A soldier 

needs a place to service his car just like anyone else. 

The unused racks could be moved to a central location 

to provide this need. This would eliminate another 

means of pollution and at the same time provide a 

needed service for the man in uniform. 

Although this study at Fort Belvoir did not consider 

the outright spillage of fuel oil it confirms that thousands of gallons of waste oil is deposited on the grounds 

of that installation each year. 

Of course, Fort Belvoir is only one of hundreds of 

military installations located around the globe. But they 

all have similar problems. The survey indicates that 

property disposal procedures are inadequate at Fort 

Belvoir. They have not been able to curtail the used oil 

portion of the pollution problem on that post. By identifying the problem in its true perspective, however, commands may be able to place specific emphasis in areas 

that would help eliminate the causes. 

In light of this study, it would seem that the overall 

PDO practices should be re-evaluated and that procedures should be implemented to solve the waste oil 

problems of turn-in, storage, and collection. None of 

the using units---the PDO or the individuals involved--- 

can selectively or collectively solve the problem. The 

:,pion to the problem and other situations that are 

dc~rimental to mankind must be initiated at the top of 

the chain of command. It is only up at the top of the 

ladder that the proper emphasis can be placed to eliminate the pollution situation. 

For example, why shouldn't each oil using unit have 

its own oil storage tank for waste oil? If the post were 

to provide a tank and a pump with which to periodically drain the waste oil, the units would no longer have 

a storage and turn-in problem. The waste oil that would 

be removed from unit tanks could then be stored in a 

major tank elsewhere on the post or picked up by a 

commercial firm at a minimal cost (about two cents per 

gallon). 

Pollution---whether it is waste oil, litter, black smoke 

from factories, eye-searing smog, musty waters of our 

rivers and lakes, or cigarette smoke---is an individual 

problem as well. All the guidelines in creation will not 

work unless someone does something about it. When 

the military commands begin to take notice that their 

own installations are causing pollution, as well as the 

factories, automobiles, sunken oil tankers, and garbage 

dumps, perhaps we will make some headway. 

At any rate, we cannot leave the situation as it is 

today. Definite and positive steps must be taken now if 

we are to curtail the exorbitant future cleanup costs. 

With positive action, the chore of reclaiming and restoring polluted streams and lands to their natural state will 

be minimal. 

Sincc the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsiblc for policing the commercial firms, checking on the 

civilian polluting populace, and assuming overall responsibility for the future cleanliness of America, it 

would seem that it is time they cleaned up their own 

backyard. 

The Army places primary responsibility for pollution 

abatement with the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics 

but the Corps of Engineers has advisory accountability 

in this matter. It is the Corps' duty to properly identify 

the sources of pollution. 

Once our military installations are cleaned up, perhaps all the other efforts that are made will be fully 

justified. And after every backyard is clean and we can 

all drink clean water and gratefully nourish the clean 

air in our lungs, perhaps then the kids will take their 

signs and go home saying, "Well, whadd'ya know? 

They listened! The generation gap is beginning to close 

at last!" e 

Captain Lawrence A. Willwerth, currently assigned 

to the 1170 Port Detachment in Boston Massachusetts, 

graduated from the Engineer Oficer Advanced Course 

at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with Class 1/72. His article is 

part of an extensive staff study he s~lbmitted to The 

Engineer School to both accommodate an academic requirement and to address an installation problem area. 
Rachel Carson once wrote, "In biological history, no 

living organism has survived long if its environment 

became someway unfit for it, but no organism before 

man has deliberately polluted its owr? environment." 

Today, man's factories and automobiles belch clouds of 

contaminents into the air; his sewage flows untreated 

into lakes and streams; and his refuse is strewn along 

the highways or lies rotting in open dumps. 

The planet earth has only three waste repositories--- 

air, water and land. They also are reservoirs for all the 

essential life resources we possess. Man's habit has been 

to think of them as limitless. But at the rate the world's 

human population is growing we can begin to view with 

real concern the fact that the earth has no more air, 

water or land today than when man first began to generate wastes. Keep in mind that these reservoirs are 

interconnected and to pollute one may mean to pollute 

the other two. 

The population of the United States has recently exceeded 200 million, and based on current growth rates 

is expected to reach 400 million by the year 2000. 

Refuse created by each man, woman and child in 

America now approximates five pounds per person per 

day, and as our affluence increases so will the production of refuse. 

Coinciding with the highest standard of living in the 

world, our nation also produces the largest volume of 

solid waste. With every purchased commodity item 

wrapped in cellophane or encased in plastic, the simple 

act of disposing of these protective wrappers is creating 

a major problem. Plastic packaging is almost immune 

to biological decomposition. If plastic packages are buried, they remain almost indefinitely in their original 

state. If they are burned, they contribute hydrocarbons 

and oxides of nitrogen to our atmosphere. 

Plastic wrappers, however, are really a negligible 

portion of the total solid waste problem, but serve to 

demonstrate some of the difficulties associated with ul '

f?. 

mate disposal. By definition, solid waste includes 

waste products of man, excluding body wastes. 

Solid waste examples are food wastes or garbage; 

rubbish, including such items as discarded paper products, wood, bedding, metals, tin cans, crockery, glass 

and clothing; ashes and dirt; dead cats and dogs; sweepings and leaves, and abandoned cars and trucks; food 

processing wastes, lumber and metal scraps. Also cinders from factories and plants; such residues as lumber, 

masonry, metals, paints, and concrete from demolition 

and new construction projects; radioactive materials, 

explosives and pathological wastes from hotels, institutions, stores and industries. 

The solid waste list is almost infinite. However, it 

serves to emphasize the fact that our cities, towns, and 

villages and great industrial complexes are producing a 

wide variety of solid waste that eventually must be 

disposed of in some manner. No longer can refuse be 

hauled to the edge of the city limits and dumped. It 

must be disposed of in a safe, sanitary and economic 

manner. Perhaps history will someday portray America 

as the nation which put man on the moon while standing knee-deep in its own refuse. Proof that lives can be 

lost because of the mismanagement of solid waste disposal methods made worldwide headlines several years 

ago when some 200 lives, mostly children, were 10~6) 

a coal slag avalanche at Aberfan, Wales. 

!. 

Lack of concern and education on the part of the 

public is the primary reason solid waste disposal has 

b 'be a threat to America's future. The city dweller 

becomes concerned only when his garbage is not removed. This point can best be demonstrated by the 

experience in the late 1960's when the garbage collectors of New York City went on strike. Mountains of 

garbage accumulated on the streets and provided a 

haven for rates, mice, and flies which created a serious 

health hazard. New Yorkers lived with the stench of 

rotting garbage for only a relatively short period of 

time, but from their brief discomfort came the realization that solid waste disposal should be of concern to 

every citizen. 

Apparently, this lack of concern is not universal, for 

the Federal government reports that today less than half 

of the cities and towns in the U.S. with populations of 

more than 2,500 dispose of community refuse by approved sanitary and nuisance-free methods. 

Not only is America's natural beauty being blighted, 

but health hazards exist everywhere in the form of open 

dumps, littered streets and highways, smoke from backyard incinerators, and discarded waste from industrial 

plants. Solid waste disposal is expensive. Federal statistics demonstrate that it is costing the American taxpayer over $1.5-billion for disposal services-exceeding 

c.8 expenditures for schools and roads in its magniA 2. Yet the existing disposal services are inefficient. 

There are too many cases of unnecessary bickering between municipal governments resulting in duplication of 

refuse disposal efforts. Solid waste pollution recognizes 

no political boundaries and should be treated accordingly. Cooperation between state and local governments 

is a necessity if the solid wastes pollution problem is to 

be solved. 

By the present "thinking" of environmental engineers, solid waste or refuse is handled in three phases 

---the storage phase, the collection phase, and the disposal phase. Initially refuse is created by the taxpayer 

and is temporarily stored in an indoor and then an 

outdoor container---first the wastebasket and then the 

trash can. The degree of refuse separation is dictated by 

the collection agency, which may specify no refuse separation or separation into garbage, rubbish and ashes. 

Normally, all storage costs are paid by the household 

occupants. During the collection phase the municipality 

provides the necessary personnel and equipment needed 

to pick up the refuse, usually twice weekly, and the 

expenses are paid from the city's operating funds. If 

municipal pick-up is not provided, the scavenger service 

normally is used, with the resulting inability to melt (0control sanitary standards. Lastly the refuse is disc'irded. Generally it is conceded that through mismanagement during the disposal phase, solid waste causes 

the most damage to the environment. 

There are a number of accepted methods currently 

practiced in the United States which are recommended 

for refuse disposal. These include: 

Incineration 

Composting 

Sanitary Land Filling 

Dumping 

Hog Feeding 

Discharge to Sewers 

Incineration. This is an expensive means of refuse 

disposal, but in municipal and urban areas where refuse 

production exceeds 100 tons per day, this method may 

be economically feasible. It has been found that incinerators are high in initial cost---usually from $3,500 to 

$5,000 per ton---to build and equip, based on a rated 

24-hour plant capacity. Afterwards, incinerator operating and maintenance costs should vary from $3 to 

$7.50 per ton for refuse. Perhaps the main advantage of 

incineration is the fact that a central location can be 

used, thereby minimizing haul distances during the 

collection phase. Incineration also permits flexibility of 

operation, and may provide a source of income through 

the sale of waste heat for steam or power. Keep in 

mind, however, that incineration merely transfers solid 

waste problems to an air pollution problem. Even the 

most modern incinerators contribute air contaminants in 

the form of particulates, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen and carbon-monoxide to the atmosphere and, at 

best, may be able to achieve a 90 percent reduction in 

solid waste. The remaining fly ash still must be collected and disposed of by some other means. 

Composting. This is a method of refuse disposal that 

has had considerable success in many European nations. The process is recognized as one of waste recovery, for composted refuse serves as an excellent organic 

additive for agricultural soils. In some countries it is 

actually responsible for producing sizeable municipal 

revenues. Because of the availability of cheap fertilizers 

in this country, however, a widespread demand for 

compost has not yet materialized. Until recently, Johnson City, Tennessee, was the only municipality in the 

United States to practice composting. 

The composting process is basically a biological 

process in which aerobic bacteria reduce shredded and 

blended organic matter into a stable end product over a 

three-week period. Initially, inorganic materials such as 

cans and other metals and glass are removed by either a 

mechanical or manual process, and subsequently may 

be sold for reclamation purposes. The remaining organic matter such as food wastes, wood and paper 

products are shredded to increase the surface area for 
bacterial action and blended to achieve an optimum 

carbon-nitrogen ratio of approximately 35: 1 for maximum aerobic bacterial growth. Organic matter deficient 

in nitrogen---like paper---can be combined with other 

wastes high in nitrogen, such as fish scraps or sewage 

sludge. Composting can serve not only as a means of 

waste recovery, but also as a means of alleviating a 

special growing form of solid waste pollution---sewage 

sludge. The possibility of recovering valuable material 

from tlie huge volumes of municipal refuse appeals to 

the imagination. As economic conditions changc and 

technology improves, perhaps the composting process 

may gain wider use in the United States as a form of 

waste reclamation and as a solution to the total solid 

waste pollution problem. 

Sanitary Landfilling. Of all methods of refuse disposal, sanitary landfilling is the most widely used. It is 

the most economical method where land is available 

and is an excellent means of convertjng useless real 

estate into valuable property. The following extract 

from Henry Still's documentary, "The Dirty Animal,'' is 

a dramatic example. 

"Henry Soto is a Los Angcles landscape architect 

who drove several miles each day to his office, and each 

day passed a forty-foot deep abandoned gravel pit. 

Then came the bright idea. Soto rounded up several 

partners, purchased the pit, and converted it into a 

private garbage and trash dump. The combine charged 

trash haulers $8.00 per truckload to use the dump---a 

low price in the Los Angeles area---and covered each 

day's collection with a layer of earth, according to approved sanitary landfill practices. Soto also set out a 

living fence to screen the dump from the highway, and 

planted a border with flower beds and trecs. The area 

was so attractive that new customers became confused 

and drovc on by until Soto put up a sign which read 

'Disposal Gardens.' When the hole is filled, Soto plans 

to build a swimming pool and tcnnis courts on the new 

level ground, and then charge admission to his private 

recreation area.'' Mr. Soto is just one of thousands who 

has used his imagination and initiative in employing the 

sanitary landfill as a profitable and safe method of refuse disposal. 

Another widely publicized example is the approach 

which the municipality of Virginia Beach, Virginia, 

took in solving the solid waste problem. Using the sanitary landfill method, the community's trash was used to 

construct a hill some 80 feet high. On one side an 

amphitheater has bcen built, while the other side has 

been reserved for skiing. The hole from which cover 

material has been excavated is to be converted to a 

fresh water lake. Subsequently, the project has been 

named "Mount Trashmore." 

Dumping. This is another method of solid waste disposal, 

of refuse 

but 

arc 

it has 

suitablc 

limitcd 

for 

applications. 

open dumping. 

Some 

These 

compo 

inc, T,,, 

strcct sweepings, ashc\ anti residue from incineration 

processes. Serious nuisances and health hazards, however, can develop if garbagc or mixed refwe is disposed 

of in this manncr. Dumping is frequently used to reclaim low areas and may permit the construction of a 

fairly stable fill. Dump locations must be carefully 

chosen so there will bc a minimum chance of complaint 

from nearby residents. 

Hog Feeding. Feeding garbage to hogs has been 

practical for many years. Some cities formerly operated 

hog farms, but municipal piggcries at present are few or 

non-existent. It is estimated, however, that about 25 

percent of the total quantity of garbage produced in this 

country is fed to hogs by private individuals. That garbage feeding is profitable when properly handled is 

shown by the fact that most hotels and restaurants can 

dispose of their garbage to farmers who are willing to 

collect it themselves. Usually they collect daily and furnish clean cans. While garbage is the most potentially 

valuable clement of refuse, it is the most difficult to 

handle in a sanitary manner and is responsible for the 

majority of nuisances and health hazards associated 

with the management of solid waste. Health authorities 

recognize the danger of contracting trichinosis fro111 F\ 

consumption of improperly cooked pork products. h~i 

feeding, like other methods of garbage utilization, still 

involves the nccessity of providing for the proper disposal of other refuse. 

Discharging to Sewers. Three methods for the dis- 


posal of garbage with sewage are in use in the United 


States---the installation of individual grinders in homes 


and commercial establishments, the installation of mu-


nicipally-operated, centrally located grinding stations, 


and the installation of grinders at sewage treatment 


plants. All three subsequently discharge waste into raw 


sewage lines. Household grinders have been found to 


contribute no major difficulties to sewage collection syc- 


terns. At the sewage treatment plant, the load of solids 


can be expected to increase from 0.07 to 0.10 pounds 


per person on the dry basis. A few cities have forbidden 


grinders, and this restriction is justified where existing 


sewerage facilities are overloaded. Universal adoption 


of household grinders will be necessary if the process is 


to havc a material effect upon the solid wastc problem. 


The total volume of refuse would not be substantially 


reduced because garbage constitutes only 10 to 15 per-


cent of the refuse in many cities. A major advantage of 


discharge to sewers, however, is that by 


garbage from the storage phase, the frequency of collfi, 

eliminatin5 


tion can be reduced by at least 50 percent. Jasper, 

1 diana, became the first community in this country to 6tempt city-wide installation of grinders. Results so far 

have been favorable. 

The location of central grinding stations at convenient points along the sewer system or at the sewage 

treatment plant is favored in some cities. Both of these 

methods require initial separation of the garbage from 

the other refuse by the householder, necessitating an 

additional municipal pick-up. Ground garbage is then 

introduced directly into the sewage treatment plant. 

There have been no reports to date that the discharge 

of ground garbage into the sewer system has caused any 

trouble. However, an increase of cockroaches and rats 

has been noted in some trunk sewers. It has been found 

that if garbage of all population contributing sewage is 

ground at a central grinding plant and then discharged 

into the sewers, the suspended solids may be increased 

approximately 50 percent, and the biochemical oxygen 

demand may be increased 30 percent. To accommodate 

this increased loading, the existing sewage treatment 

facilities must either have been constructed with a capability of operating at expanded capacities or must possess the capability of being modified structurally. If not, 

it will result in non-satisfactory sewage treatment. 

In taking the first action to control solid waste pollu- 

, tion, authorities should no longer permit open dumping, 

(nnsightly automobile graveyards, feeding uncooked garbage to hogs, strewing litter along the highways, dumping refuse at sea and other bad refuse disposal habits. 

These violations should be prohibited by law, and such 

laws strictly enforced. 

On January 4, 1965, in his State of the Union message, President Johnson said, "I propose that we increase the beauty of America and end the poisoning of 

our rivers and the air that we breathe." In October of 

the same year, he signed into law the Solid Waste Disposal Act. This legislation, for the first time in the 

nation's history, gives responsibility to the Federal Government for developing new methods of solid waste 

disposal. Emphasis is to be placed upon "conservation 

of natural resources by reducing the amount of wastes 

and unsalvageable materials and by recovery and utilization of potential resources in solid waste." Additionally, the act provides for "technical and financial assistance to state and local governments and interstate agencies in the planning, development, and conduct of solid 

waste disposal programs." 

Since its passage, science, technology and the government are moving toward a solution to the solid waste 

pollution problem. The Congress has authorized the 

(pfappropriation of more than $100-million for this area 

concern. 

A number of universities have received grants to 

support graduate student training in the field of solid 

waste. The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has established the Office of Solid Wastes. This 

subsequently started a great number of research programs and demonstrations. Also, the recently created 

Environmental Protection Agency is developing standards governing solid waste management. 

America in now on the "move" to meet the challenge 

of solid waste pollution. Public concern has been 

aroused over the degradation of the environment. Now, 

all across the country, individuals, ecology groups and 

civic action organizations are combining to "clean-up" 

the face of America. Numerous recycling centers have 

been established to serve as focal points for the collection and ultimate re-use of such items as newspapers, 

bottles and aluminum cans. 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the "Home of the U.S. Army 

Engineers," is no exception to the collection plan. Captain Theodore J. Trauner, a student in the 1st Engineer 

Officer Advanced Course, Fiscal Year 1972, has initiated a trial project with the help of his classmates. 

Salvable items are deposited by the residents of Fairfax 

Village in 15 appropriately marked trash cans that are 

stored in front of the Captain's quarters. Magazines 

with glossy print are not acceptable for recycling, and 

all cans must be flattened. To take care of this latter 

chore, Captain Trauner is relying upon the services of 

the Boy Scouts. Periodically, the trash cans which have 

been made available by the Directorate of Facilities are 

emptied and transported by private haul assets to a 

commercial recycling center. Revenues in the amount of 

30 cents per 100 pounds of newspapers and 8 cents 

per pound of aluminum cans are the reward. If this 

concept of solid waste disposal proves successful in 

Fairfax Village, then it is hoped that plans will be 

activated to provide a post-wide service. Perhaps salvaging may prove to be an effective means of reducing 

the Facilities Engineer's operating costs at Fort Belvoir. 

New ideas and innovations are required to solve the 

solid waste pollution problem. As America moves into 

the decade of the seventies, it seems destined to come to 

grips with the harsh realities of uncontrolled environmental degradation. Unless the trend of years of environmental neglect is reversed, man may find too late 

that the ecological balance of nature has been irreversibly altered. e 

Major William R. Willard, Jr., presently is assigned as a 

staff officer with Headquarters, European Command 

(J-4). He formerly taught environmental engineering at 

the U.S. Army Engineer School, For Belvoir, Virginia. 

Originally an Infantry officer, he served in Vietnam as a 

commander of C Company, 19th Engineer Battalion 

(Combat) and later as Assistant S-3 of the 937th Engineer Group (Combat). 
THE

FIELD 

Lieutenant Colonel George W. Page 

As has been previously stated, Dynamic Training is . 

nothing more than a new approach to an old problem. 

The underlying philosophy is to revitalize unit training 

---to eliminate the apathy which frequently results when 

training is routinely conducted to comply with relatively 

rigid requirements imposed by higher echelons of command. 

Brigadier General Gordon Peltier, Commanding 

General, 16th Engineer Brigade (Combat), Ohio National Guard, submitted the following example of Dynamic Training which involved the 16th Brigade's 

6 12th Engineer Battalion. 

The 612th, having been recently converted from an 

armored cavalry squadron, actively sought suitable engineer troop projects to provide effective dynamic basic 

unit training during its short summer training period. 

The battalion was given the project of designing andconstructing an abandoned township road in the all ) 

ville Wildlife Area of Southwestern Ohio during it\ 

active duty training period, July 1 1-23, 1971. The 

State of Ohio requested the assistance to provide access 

into an otherwise inaccessible part of the wildlife area 

and furnished the engineer construction materials and 

bivouac area. The 1,700-foot roadway traversed a 
heavily wooded tract of land through which several 

streams flowed. 

Completion of the project required the employment 

of many combat engineer unit capabilities and skills, 

such as surveying, land clearing, sub-base, base course 

and wearing surface (crushed rock) construction, design and construction of two Class 30 timber trestle 

bridges and several large culverts. Also required was 

the installation of lateral drainage facilities that included ditches with checkdams to reduce erosion. 

The project was divided into two company-sized projects of approximately equal size and scope. Companies 

A and C of the 612th Engineer Battalion were assigned 

the projects for construction. Spurred on by a healthy 

competitive spirit to produce the highest quality product 

and to maintain the production schedule, Companies A 

and C of the 612th displayed an esprit-de-corps among 

their personnel which contributed greatly to the value of 

the unit training derived from the project, and assured 

completion right on time. 

Obviously proud of their accomplishment, many of 

the Battalion's personnel visit the wildlife area with 

their families for recreation, and point out the permaent credit signs which the state installed along the 

(

6ompleted road in recognition of the unit's efforts during the two-week training period in July 1971. 

This project demonstrated to a great extent many of 

the capabilities and the versatility of a combat engineer 

unit, and served to develop individual personnel skills. 

The value of practical "hands-on" training, as used in 

this particular instance, when compared to a classroom 

environment of lectures and conferences becomes readily apparent. This technique of instruction provides a 

much more effective vehicle for speeding the technical 

proficiency of combat engineer unit personnel. 

Favorable publicity and recognition by state and 

local authorities fostered a public awareness of the positive value of the National Guard Engineer Battalion 

which, in turn, did much to promote the unit's espritde-corps. For its efforts during this training period, a 

First Army evaluation team recommended that the 

612th be designated an "Outstanding Unit," a coveted 

award. 

Dynamic Training, of course, may be accomplished 

in many ways. One of the better examples of it is the 

manner in which land navigation is taught-by Oriehteering. 

In its simplest form, Orienteering may be defined as 

a timed cross-country map course. It began primarily as 

a military training method in Scandinavia during the 

late 1800's to renew the interest of Swedish youth in 

track and field events. 

The first competition consisted of a combination of 

cross-country running and map course over unknown 

terrain and was held March 25, 19 19. It proved to be a 

great success. The Orienteering program spread rapidly 

throughout Europe, and by the late 1950's many international events were being held on the continent. In 

1965, a U.S. Army Special Forces group stationed in 

Germany represented the United States for the first time 

in Orienteering competition during a meet sponsored by 

the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM). 

Orienteering was first used as a military training vehicle in the United States at the U.S. Marine Corps 

Physical Fitness Academy and the U.S. Military Academy in 1967. It was added to the Programs of Instruction at the U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Belvoir, 

Virginia, in February, 1970, and at the U.S. Amy Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia, in November of 

that year. Currently, it is taught at the Engineer School 

to Officers and Noncommissioned Officers attending the 

three resident professional development courses. 
The Orienteering Program rates quite high as an individual and military unit training technique. The combination of the practical use of maps, compass techniques, terrain orientation, physical fitness, mental alertness, determination, and decisiveness makes every orienteering hour valuable to the participant. 

Essentially, the rules applicable to orienteering are 

relatively simple, and the equipment required is minimal and inexpensive. 

At the outset, the competitor reports to the starting 

line where he is issued a map, clue card and score card. 

When given the signal by the timer, he consults a master map from which he learns the control points he 

must visit as he runs the course. At each of these his 

scoreboard is marked in a manner identifiable only to 

that particular station. Speed is the all-important factor 

in the competition, for running the course is a race 

against time. 

There are three types of orienteering courses. In 

Freestyle orienteering, the competitor runs to all points 

but may choose his own route to each of the stations. 

Line orienteering, on the other hand, is similar to a 

compass course and participants must follow a pre-determined route to the control points. Score orienteering 

provides several options for the competitor. In this type 

of course, a number of stations are marked on the map 

and assigned point values based on the difficulty involved in reaching it. The time limit established for the 

course usually precludes a participant from reaching all 

stations. He must then decide which stations to attack 

and in what sequence. The objective of score orienteering is to acquire the maximum number of points within 

the time allotted, and if that time is exceeded the competitor is penalized. One tactic used in this course is to 

run the perimeter stations until time becomes critical 

then move toward the finish. 

Five techniques are used in orienteering---Route 

Selection, Aiming Off, Attacking Known Points, Collecting Features and Judging Distance. 

Route Selection means just that. The competitor 

must choose between a short, difficult but direct route, 

or select a longer, easier route to his objective. 

Aiming Off involves running to a station located 

along a stream or road, and purposely taking a route 

which will assure the competitor that he is off to one 

side of the station so that he is positive of which way to 

turn to find it. 

When a participant employs the technique of Attacking Known Points, he selects prominent physical or 

terrain features which he knows from having located 

such features on the master map are located in the near 

vicinity of the station being sought, and moves directly 

to the site. 

Judging Distance is the determination of one's pace 

for 100 meters when using different strides and traver -

ing varying kinds of terrain. 6 

Orienteering as a military training program is quite 

effective and highly recommended. No elaborate or expensive individual equipment is required---topographic 

maps, compasses, locally produced clue cards of the 

stations to be visited and score cards which the competitor marks at each station on the course comprises the 

complete list. Unit personnel needed to officiate include 

two each to function as timers, scorekeepers, aidmen 

and range controllers. 

The U.S. Army Engineer School has prepared an 

Orienteering Instructor's Handbook designed to help 

interested personnel in setting up and administering this 

type of training within their own units. It can be obtained by writing the Director, Department of Applied 

Engineering, U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort Belvoir, 

Virginia 22060. 

Additional information on orienteering may be found 

in "Be Expert with Map and Compass," by Bjorn, 

Stackpole Company, Cameron and Kelkenstret, Harrisburg, Pa. 17105, 1967; "Orienteering," by John Disley, Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pa. 17105, 1967; 

and "Orienteering and Aid to Training," by J. R. Chapman, Hillside Printing Company, 230 Woodhouse 

Road, Finchley, London N. 12, England. F. 

How about you? Have you led or been involved III 

any particularly interesting and effective training 

excercises? The Engineer Dynamic Training Council is 

interested in hearing about what you have done. This 

department of "The Engineer" will regularly feature 

ideas that have been submitted. We need your support. 

So please send a brief account of your training experiences and/or you ideas to: The Engineer Dynamic 

Training Council, U.S. Army Engineer School, Fort 

Belvoir, Virginia 22060. e 

Lieutenant Colonel George W. Page currently is Director, Department of Applied Engineering at the U.S. 

Army Engineer School, and also junctions as the Deputy Chairman of the Engineer Dynamic Training Council. His assignments have included duty with the 116th 

Engineer Group (Combat); 542d Engineer Company 

(Geodetic Survey); Los Angeles Engineer District; IV 

Corps Advi~ory Headquarters and Construction Directorate, Headquarters MACV, Republic of Vietnam; 

Headquarters Central Army Group; and Commanding 

Oficer, 10th Engineer Combat Battalion, 3d Infantry 

Division in Germany. He is a graduate of the United 

States Military Academy, the Command and General 

Staff College, and the British Staff College. He holdsm' 

Master's Degree in Civil Engineering from the ~nived' 

sity of California. 
It was just another routine day for the two-man crew 

of BD-5. 

Frank E. Hart, who captains the little 30-foot drift 

collector, and his crewman, John J. Coley, launched 

their craft about 7 am from its mooring alongside the 

Washington Navy Yard dock for another bout with the 

muddy Potomac. 

Their mission is simple and they know it by heart. 

They do it every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. They 

have been sweeping the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, 

the Washington Channel, and the Tidal Basin to clean 

up navigational obstacles since 1966. 

Hart and Coley are two members of an eight-man 

Drift Removal Unit that works out of the Baltimore 

District Navigation Branch of the Corps of Engineers. 

The professional crew operates under the direction of 

Harry Moran, a veteran of 31 years with the Army 

Corps of Engineers. They get the job done with two 

30-foot craft equipped with wire mesh, scooptype baskets, one 35-footer equipped with an A Frame, one 

80-foot crane barge, two 40-foot open deck barges, and 

a 20-ton crane. 

On this clear, bright day, Hart headed BD-5 up the 

polluted Potomac toward. the Three Sisters Bridge site 

above Georgetown. The tiny craft chugged slowly toward its destination pushing a scow ahead of it. 

They tied the scow up to an old abandoned boat that 

was docked against some pilings at a construction site 

within eyesight of the skeleton of Three Sisters. Then 

Hart began to make a methodical sweep of the river 

around the pilings, near the shore, and further up 

around the piers of the bridge that may never be completed. 

Hart and Coley have a number of ways they can 

collect the debris. They can get it with the basket which 

scoops and elevates. They can get large pieces that are 

too close to the shore for BD-5's basket to scoop up by 

snagging it with a nylon line, then pulling it out to 

deeper water where the basket can do the job. They 

also go ashore as far up as the high water mark and 

pick up debris with their hands. The craft equipped 

with the A Frame is used for the real large pieces. 

The debris, of course, is loaded onto the scow each 

time the basket is full. There was ~lenty of driftwood 

this day and the scow was full by about 2:30 pm. So 

Hart headed for home with his load. 

Coley pointed out that they sometimes find dead 

horses, cows, deer, dogs, cats, rats, men, women, and 

children in the water. They call for a District of Columbia police boat when a body is found. There was only a 

dead dog this day and it went downstream faster than 

BD-5. 

With their radio dispatch phone tuned in, Hart and 

Coley are subject to emergency calls from the Coast 

Guard, the D.C. Metropolitan Police, the U.S. Navy, 

and all private boat owners. 

These craft are keeping 30 miles of Washington's 

waterways and shoreline free of debris and are helping 

make the environment picture look a little brighter. 

Hart said they sweep the river before each President's 

Cup Regatta is held. Also, they try to keep it as clean 

as possible so pleasure craft can let the throttle out. 

BD-5 finally pushed the scow up to the barge at the 

Navy Yard and tied up. The crane would take the 

debris from there, lifting it off and into a 40-cubic-yard 

portable bin. Its final destination was a landfill at Wayson's Corner. Some 15 million pounds of effluvia has 

gone into that landfill since the project began six short 

years ago. 

What did the two-man crew of BD-5 accomplish on 

this day? They traveled about 30 nautical miles from 

the time they started out in the early morning until they 

docked at 3:30 in the afternoon. They also collected 

about 25,000 pounds of debris, mostly driftwood. Was 

this a big day? No. Hart and Coley both agreed that it 

was just average---routine. 
Training Program 


Colonel W. 

Dynamic Training is catching on more and more, 

according to our Engineer Dynamic Training Council 

surveys and the feedback reaching the Engineer School. 

Elsewhere in this issue you'll find more "Tips From the 

Field" on ways other engineers have made their training 

more interesting and effective. 

There are some misconceptions about dynamic training, however, that should be erased. Too many engineer 

trainers are thinking of it only in terms of occasional 

stunts to be employed when things are dull, or perhaps 

when the subject is particularly appropriate for an "adventure." Dynamic training includes that, to be sure, 

but what happens on the days or weeks in between 

"adventures?" Do you have to carry on with old-style 

"non-dynamic" training, while the lieutenant works up 

another idea and persuades the old man to let him try it 

out? 

R. Hylander, Jr. 

NO, you don't. 

A unit can make its entire training program dynamic. 

It's not hard to do. Here at the Engineer School, we 

have developed a prototype that may become an official 

Army Training Program (ATP) for engineer combat 

battalions. That will take some time. Meanwhile, there 

is nothing to prevent your unit from developing its own. 

Several battalions have already begun. Former Army 

Chief of Staff, General William C. Westmoreland, 

pointed out in a June 30, 1971 message to the field that 

your unit commander has the flexibility to do so. All it 

takes is some planning. 

Unit training programs are prepared on an annual 

basis, and usually culminate in a test which shoum 

measure the unit's capability to perform its combat mis- 
sion. Called an ATT (Army Training Test) or an 

PTT (Operational Readiness Training Test), these 

,ts too often turn out to be three-to-five day convoy 

and bivouac drills for the troops, while the commanders 

and their staffs handle engineer projects by paperwork. 

Rarely are squads and platoons required to physically 

demonstrate their proficiency in the myriad tasks engineers should be able to do in combat, because ATTs or 

ORTTs are not prescribed below battalion or separate 

company level. Despite the sincere efforts of evaluating 

umpires, many such tests are basically phoney. 

The fault lies with the Army's system for training 

and testing of units. Developed during World War I1 

when all types of units had to be activated, trained, 

tested, and shipped overseas in the ~nimumtime, the 

Army's family of ATPs and ATTs is basically sound. 

For the cyclic annual training of active Army units or 

those in the reserve components, the system is poor. 

Get the ATP and ATT from your unit's files and read 

them critically. Then ask yourself how much help they 

really provide in your situation. The ATP is little more 

than a check list of subjects and references. It is merely 

a guide, but too often it becomes a straitjacket because 

of readiness reporting requirements. Units must be 

tested somehow and the system doesn't allow any other 

way. Here I'm really indulging in self-criticism, for my 

,epartment of the Engineer School is responsible for 

riting the ATPs and ATTs for all engineer units. 

Through the years, however, their style and format and 

content have conformed to the "system." There has 

been little criticism of the documents and there was 

always the proviso that they could be "adapted to local 

conditions ." 

Looking for something of more value to modern unit 

training, we began studying ways to improve the system 

in 1970. Drawing on our own training experiences, on 

limited reports from units, and then on the results of 

our dynamic training survey, we drafted ATP 5-35T 

(T =Test), for the Engineer Combat Battalion, Army 

or Corps. Although it was still in draft form, the concept 

drew favorable responses from the Engineer Center 

Team and the Combat Arms Training Board. And in 

March 1972 it was presented to the Chief of Staff's 

Forum for Center Commanders at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 

It now has all the informal support and encouragement 

we can use from people like General Ralph E. Haines, 

Jr., CG,CONARC; Lieutenant General Harris W. Hollis, Chief of Reserve Components; Lieutenant General 

George I. Forsythe, Special Assistant to the Chief of 

Staff for the Modern Volunteer Army; Major General 

Lavern E. Weber, Director of Army National Guard, 

nd General Westmoreland. The latter commented, hhis sounds like fun for the officers and the troops," 

and held our engineer proposal up as a model that 

other branches could follow. So you commanders who 

want to try out the concept need not worry about support from 'the top. You officially have the freedom and 

flexibility to do so. If you think you need assistance, 

contact us at The Engineer School. 

The key features of this dynamic training program 

for an engineer unit are-

@ No mandatory hours of training are prescribed. It is 

up to each commander how much time he devotes to 

any subject. 

Training objectives are tied to manning levels. At 

reduced manning levels, only company, platoon, or 

squad training objectives need to be achieved. 

Testing requirements are specified for each element 

from squad through battalion. 

Testing is spread throughout the training cycle instead of being concentrated into a three-to-five day 

period at the end of the cycle. 

Tasks to be tested are designed for two-day accomplishment. 

Achievements are to be evaluated, and validated, 

within the chain of command, and two levels higher. 

In other words, the battalion commander validates what 

his platoons do, and the battalion is validated by the 

engineer brigade commander or his equivalent. For 

Reserve or National Guard units, the validator is a 

Reserve or National Guard officer. 

The training cycle varies in length. A newly activated 

unit that is training full time during wartime mobilization needs about 33 weeks. An active Army unit should 

follow an annual cycle while a reserve component unit 

should follow a three-year cycle. 

The training program should be designed around a 

series of tasks, each designed for a two-day block of 

training. For Reserve and National Guard units, this 

would fit a weekend multiple drill period at home stations. For active Army units, one 2-day period is about 

all that should be planned for pure training, considering the normal commitments for guard, housekeeping, 

maintenance, ash and trash details, and other requirements. For units newly activated under wartime mobilization and operating on a 48-hour week, two 2-day 

blocks could be accomplished each week. In each case, 

the time not scheduled for dynamic training is available 

for commander's time, for details, and for any preliminary instruction the unit leader thinks his men 

need before undergoing evaluation for real. Each twoday block, is not just exposure to instruction; it is an 

evaluated demonstration of the unit's ability to perform 

its combat mission. 

A combat engineer squad should be capable of some 

76 different tasks that are .listed in ATP 5-35T. 

Several could be cdmbined to make up a two-day training block. For example, a squad might be required 
to execute a 40-kilometer engineer reconnaissance on 

foot. Then it might be required to take an overnight 

bivouac and turn in oral and written reports upon its 

return. Don't look over its shoulder all the way. Give 

that squad the mission and tur it loose. Inspect it once 

enroute and upon its return, and evaluate its reports. 

You'll identify the true squad leaders, and you'll help 

them develop leadership and to fashion their squads 

into teams. 

You can give companion and competing tasks to two 

elements. For example, have two platoons set up dug-in 

and camouflaged platoon positions, including a real 

bunker; then have them switch attack, and clear and 

level the other's site. There are some 36 different tasks a 

combat engineer platoon should be able to do. 

A typical company task might be a Bailey bridge. 

Don't just specify so many hours of bridge training. 

Give the company a mission of crossing a tank or an 

equivalent load over a designated gap at night. Make 

the bridge material and the tank available. Give them 

the first day to prepare, the night to do the job, and 

the second day to tear it down. If the tank crosses on 

time, the company passes its test. Every man will see it 

and know it, and the result will be associated with team 

work. 

The secret of unit training is teamwork. Sometimes an 

oustanding leader can make even an unskilled crew 

look good. Sometimes a good crew can even make an 

incompetent leader look good. But the goal should be 

to develop both competent leaders and motivated, 

skilled crews, and to evaluate them as a team. Tasks 

should be designed to be measured on a go/no-go basis 

wherever possible, so that every man knows the mission 

and can see the results. Getting the tank over the bridge 

is an ideal example. The use of detailed check lists and 

point-scoring techniques should be avoided as this 

often degenerates into subjective judgment and becomes a farce that fools no one. If the unit is too noisy 

at night or has poor light discipline or security, give 

it remedial training-don't flunk it on bridge-building! 

Some of the evaluated tasks should be construction 

projects. These can be of almost any sort, but they 

should be evaluated from an engineering standpoint. If 

possible, incorporate quality control. It's hopeless to 

pack enough such tasks for every squad, platoon, and 

company into a battalion ATT. You need to spread 

them out through the training cycle. With a little initiative and some planning, enough projects can be created. 

These could be on-post and even under simulated tactical conditions, or they could be off-post for organizations such as the Boy Scouts. If it relates to the unit mission and if it's done for real, evaluate the units performance and validate it for credit. 

For a combat engineer unit, about half of the twoday tasks should involve night operations or an om 

night bivouac. When the unit is in the field it should "z 

tactical-camouflaged, dug in as appropriate, employing 

security elements. 

Training should be progressive from squad to platoon 

to company and then battalion. There can be some 

overlap, since a company can be evaluated while its 

platoons and squads are engaged in tasks that are also 

being evaluated. The battalion commander and his staff 

can best be evaluated when the whole unit is in the field, 

as in the current ATT period. The difference is that 

only he and his staff are undergoing evaluation. Subordinate elements can be given makeup training, assigned projects or be retested on subjects they missed 

or failed. 

It is estimated that an active Army engineer unit 

under such a training program would need to schedule 

two-day training blocks during only about 27 weeks per 

year, coupled with a period of two to three weeks 

when the entire battalion would live and operate in the 

field. A reserve component unit, on a three year cycle, 

would require about half of its multiple drill periods for 

training, and about half of its two-week summer camp 

periods. Validations, when achieved, would remain valid 

for 12 months for Active Army units and for 36 months 

for a reserve component unit. F 

These are the highlights of the concept for a dynam._ 

training program for engineer units that the Engineer 

School has proposed for Department of the Army adoption. As pointed out earlier, however, you don't have to 

wait for it to be adopted. If a unit commander wants to 

modify it now to his training needs, he has support and 

encouragement from the Chief of Staff on down. If help 

is needed in developing your training program, we at 

the Engineer School will do our best to assist you. 

Dynamic training isn't just an occasional adventure 

for a squad or a platoon. You don't have to wait for 

the right opportunity to come along. You can plan an 

entire program of dynamic training, and you can do it 

now. Some units have already launched their programs. 

How about you? e 

Colonel Walter R. Hylander, Jr.,, Director of Doctrine and Training Development at the Engineer School 

and Chairman of the Engineer Dynamic Training Council, maintains he has trained dynamically the Ist, 2nd, 

3rd, 138, and 288th Engineer Combat Battalions; the 

487th Aviation Engineer Battalion (USAR), and at the 

Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Engineer School. 

He holds a master's degree in Civil Engineering from 

M.Z.T., 

York and 

and 

a 

is 

Fellow, 

a registered 

American 

professional 

Society 

engineer 

of Civil 

in 

Eng. 

Ne m

neers. 
4 

ENGINEER STAFF 

(it--

he evening sky twinkled with 

a mixture of stars and sparks from 

a line of river steamers stretching 

for miles along the wharves and 

levees. A lazy river breeze spread 

odors of jambalaya, shrimp creole, 

and oyster gumbo across the waterways. Laughter from milling throngs 

bore witness to the "Business Boom 

in the South," as Frank Leslie's 

ILLUSTRATED Newspaper proclaimed. 

President Garfield's assassin had 

been dead for two years. The Brooklyn Bridge had been open for a 

year, and to most Americans it 

seemed that all was right with the 

world. Was there ever a more propitious occasion for an exposition 

like the New Orleans Cotton Centennial of 1884? 

e 

Not as far as James and Estelle 

almers could imagine. They sat 

the parlor car of the southbound 

evening train, touching hands, and 

smiling. They were taking many 

pleasant memories back to their 

home in Palataka, Florida. James 

had the foresight to bring back a 

few souvenirs. The prize was a few 

seeds from an exotic floating plant 

he had purchased. A lavenderblooming, orchidaceous plant with 

glossy leaves, its flowers, which 

seemed fragile as butterfly wings, 

had blooms that lasted only a few 

days. 

James would plant the seeds in 

their lawn fountain. Later they 

would overgrow the fountain. After 

being pulled out of their chokcd 

bed, the plants would be dumped 

into the nearby St. John's River 

and forgotten . . . From this gentle and innocent 

act on a peaceful night in 1884 

emerged a biological invasion of the 

nation's waterways that, over the 

last three-quarters of a century, cost 

many millions of dollars in control 

expenditures and economic losses. 

The invading menace is named 

Eickhornia Crassipes-more commonly known as the water hyacinth. 

The generic title for this botanic 

wonder honors a Prussian minister, 

J. A. F. Eickhorn, who lived from 

1779 to 1856. His exact connection 

with these stubborn plants, if in fact 

he ever saw one, has been lost to 

history. Likeliest explanation for 

the name was the practice of European botanists of the time, naming 

plants for famous men regardless 

of any association they might have 

had with the species. 

By 1896, Eickhorn's namesake 

had spread throughout most of the 

St. John's River Valley. By 1900, 

steamboat navigation on the river 

between Jacksonville, Florida, and 

Palatka had virtually ceased due 

to the aquatic infestation. Other 

gardeners and flower fanciers soon 

spread the pretty water hyacinth 

from Florida, through the Carolinas, 

and finally to Texas. 

It was around this time that the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was 

directed by Congress to do what it 

could to control this growth that 

was overwhelming waterways and 

menacing shipping. Seventy-odd 

years later Army engineers are still 

quietly battling to control this and 

other channel-clogging infestations. 

It is not a simple task. 

How does one effectively dispose 

of a plant which is 10 percent or 

less fibrous substance and 90 per-, 

cent air? -Plants that grow up to 

six feet above the water's surface? 

-Plants with trailing gray roots 

that appear lacy and fernlike underwater but are a bulky, sodden mass 

when uprooted?-Plants which multiply so rapidly that each might 

spawn 60,000 more in a single growing season? 

The engineers tried dynamite to 

blast out the enemy. Oil mixtures 

were dumped on the plants and set 

aflame. Also employed were knives, 

pitchforks and axes in "hand-tohand" combat. The tenacious water 

hyacinth seemed undefeatable. 

As man began to use the water 

channels for pleasure by building 

housing and shopping areas along 

the canals, he unwittingly became 

an ally to his old enemy-human 

waste. It and other sewage were 

dumped into streams. Fertilizers 
running off from lawns and agricultural areas brought more nutrients 

to the hardy morass that was steadily 

creeping across the waterways. 

The mechanical harvester, sawboat, and similar waterborne lawnmowers churned into the canals. 

The expensive result was improved 

conditions in locales where the machines were employed. Even so, 

nothing prevented the reinfestation. 

Engineers fought back with herbicidal chemicals like sodium arsenite 

and plant hormones. Dumped or 

sprayed from aircraft, boats and 

swamp buggies, the chemicals noticeably retarded growth. The Engineers had entered the Chemical Age. 

But we also had entered an age of 

environmental concern. Ecologists, 

naturalists and other citizens viewed 

chemical treatment with misgivings. 

Although herbicides have not bcen 

known to be injurious in any way 

to public health when used, the 

Corps of Engineers became concerned about this possibility and 

about side-effects of chemicals that 

might prove adverse to other elements of the river ecology. 

This concern led to de-emphasis 

of chemical control in favor of 

developing other methods. These 

developments produced unusual results. Two thousand Argentine Flea 

Beetles, for example, were gathered 

from the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, which nestles on the 

Georgia-South Carolina border. 

Lengthy tests showed the voracious 

insects considered Alligatorweedanother river-clogging hindrance to 

boaters and fishermen-a gourmet 

delight. But they would eat nothing 

else. Another victory for the water 

hyacinth! 

A sawboat attacks a mass of water 

hyacinth clogging a once navigable 

channel (upper left photo). An engineer works over small, isolated patches 

of "the menace" with defoliant (upper 

right photo). The target-one water 

hyacinth plant-is shown in the bottom 

photo. 

Experimenters also tested a variety of biological agents that included 

tiny mites, fungi, moths, grasshoppers and huge manatees-sea 

cows which have ravenous appetites for the lily-like plant. 

A curious candidate for hyacinth 

control is the White Amur, a weedeating pan fish. Ranging from five 

to six pounds, the amur is a fine 

gamefish with a light, succulent taste. 

Developed in Russia, China and 

Thailand, it was used to control 

vegetation and-keep irrigation canals 

clear. Since Thais must depend on 

their canals for transportation, bathing, and garbage disposal, large 

morasses of hyacinths ("Java 

Weeds" as the Thais call them) can 

disrupt household routine as well as 

water 

Other 

traffic. 

ideas are being explort P

A specie of plant-eating South 
These two photos show the hyacinth's before and after effect on a pumping station. 

American snail might prove effective as a deterrent. Harvesting the 

hyacinth for cattle fodder, though 

it would be expensive, is being 

studied. Even the use of lasers are 

being considered. 

Meanwhile the orchid-like scourge 

P'tinues to grow, damming up nor11 water flow and causing increased evaporation of water in 

channels. It immobilizes water transportation, stifling marinas and 

depressing waterfront real estate 

values. It harbors snakes and mosquito larvae within its rounded 

leaves. Hyacinth roots even sap 

oxygen from the water, with adverse effects on fish populations. 

Yet, even with its treacherous 

history, the water hyacinth is illegally but commonly sold in certain 

areas of the U.S. as an ornamental 

plant for about $1SO. 

At this very moment the offspring 

of James and Estelle Chalmers 

could very well be driving home 

from an enjoyable Northern vacation with a fragile lilac-blooming 

time bomb nestling comfortably in 

the back of their station wag0n.e 
.. -

Bridging 


ENGINEER SPECIALISTS GETTING 

NEW SYSTEMS ENGINEERED 

MOS TYPE MANUALS 

A SINGLE, CONSISTENT DOCUMENT which will facilitate school and unit training and correspondence course 

preparation and serve as a pro-pay refresher and field reference is currently "in the mill" at the U.S. Army Engineer 

School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for each of several military occupational specialties (MOS). These MOS manuals 

will be numbered for the specific occupational specialty, and each will carry an individual letter designator. Technical Manuals (TMs) 5-62, for instance, will represent Career Group 62, Engineer Heavy Equipment and Maintenance. Within that Career Group, 62B will identify the Engineer Equipment Repairman; 62C the Engineer Missile 

Equipment Specialist; 62D the Asphault Equipment Operator, and so on. Each lettcred manual will contain the material covering all skill levels for that MOS. For example, Part I of the 62B manual will contain only the material 

required for grade E-3, MOS 62B10. Part I1 will be an expansion of that material, plus the additional material 

required for grades E-4 and E-5, MOS 62B20. Following the same pattern, Parts 111, IV and V will satisfy each 

skill level according to career patterns and data bank demands. However, when the basic skill level is a feeder into 

more than one MOS within the group, reference will be made to that skill level without repeating the same material. 

Thus, the 62C manual will not contain material for the 10-skill level E-3, but will refer back to Part I of the 62B 

manual. As of the moment, manuals for carpentry and plumbing have been completed, with TMs for construce 

and Utilities Worker (55 1A) , Electrician (55 1R), Engineer Equipment Repairman (5-562B/20/30), and NLO 

Administrative Guide (5-590) expected in the near future. 

ARMY PICKS UP TAB 

FOR TWO FULL YEARS 

OF COLLEGE UNDER OUDP 

IT HAS BEEN LEARNED that many officers still do not know about their undergraduate degree program. The 

Officer Undergraduate Degree Program, (OUDP, AR-621-1, 17 May 1971) is a funded plan that provides up to 

two full years of schooling with the tuition and fees paid by the government. Under the program, individuals can 

get four semesters and two summer sessions of schooling. Warrents can obtain MOS-related associate degrees while 

commissioned officers are earning branch-related bachelors degrees. Permanent Change of Station moves are authorized under this program. Any officer who does not have a branch related degree should contact the Education Officer at the Engineer Branch, Officer of Personnel Operations, for complete details. 

TOE CHANGE ADDS 

NEW THREE-MAN TEAM 

TO POWER UNITS 

A CHANGE in the TOE of Engineer Construction, Utilities and Electrical Power Teams has added Team HK, 

Radiographic Welding Inspection. Under Change 6, TOE 5-5306, Engineer Construction, Utilities and Electrical 

Power Teams, this three-man team provides pipeline radiographic welding inspection with the supervision coming 

from the supported unit Pipeline Engineer (MOS 7932). The team is equipped with an inspection set Line Item 

Number N95306. The team welders have MOS 44C20 with the additional skill identifier 23. The same change also 

has provided the three utility teams (HE, HF, and HG) with the capability to support insect and rodent control 

With this change, the Corps of Engineers' installation R&U responsibilities are the same for both the TOE wfi 

time theaters of operations units as the TDA Continental United States and peacetime oversea theater units. 
?heGap 


ENGINEER BRANCH AND TAG0 


URGE OFFICERS TO COMPLETE 


DA FORM 1059 FOR THE FILES 


ENGINEER BRANCH urges that officers who have attended civil schools in the past should insure that both the 

branch and The Adjutant General efficiency files contain a copy of Department of the Army Form 1059 (Academic 

Report) with complete, official transcripts. This applies to officers who participated in Funded Graduate, DCP, 

or OUDP, and also to those who attended schooling on any basis but did not complete degree requirements. 

INDIVIDUAL WORK PROJECT 


ADDED TO EOAC 


COURSE CURRICULUM 


COMMENCING WITH CLASS 2, Fiscal Year 1972, of the Engineer Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the satisfactory accomplishment of an Individual Work Project was established as an additional requirement for successful completion of the course. The projects were introduced into the 

curriculum as a means of providing meaningful, higher level staff experience which will prove to be invaluable to 

the student in future career assignments. To recognize excellence, a Commandant's Award for Staff Excellence was 

eblished for presentation during graduation. The graduate of each class whose efforts are adjudged to be the best 

consideration of the anticipated outcome of the project, the means used to satisfy the outcome, and the professional application of that means in the school's operational environment, will win the award. 

NEW CORRESPONDENCE COURSES 


OFFER SKILL IMPROVEMENT 


AND ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITY 


TWO NEW OPPORTUNITIES for enlisted personnel to improve their skills and to advance professionally appear 

for the first time in the 1972 edition of the U.S. Army Engineer School's "Announcement of Correspondence 

Courses." Each of these programs offers a means of furthering careers in either the stabilized Army of the future 

or in the booming construction industry of our civilian economy. The Engineer Skill Training Program (ESTP), 

which was pioneered at the U.S. Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir in 1971 (see the engineer, Fall Issue, 

197 1, page 26), combines correspondence courses with technical and practical training to produce skilled craftsmen in carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electricity. The program's objective is to make available to all units 

having a Directorate of Facilities a means of improving their vertical construction skills. The 16-week program 

has already been adopted at several installations within the United States and overseas. Efforts are being made to 

obtain recognition by the unions for those who successfully complete the course. Introductory packets of materials 

are available to interested commands and/or installations and will be sent upon request by the U.S. Army Engineer 

School. Continuing progress also is being made in improving educational opportunities for enlisted personnel 

through correspondence courses. The most recent addition is the MOS Correspondence Course Program, which is 

comprised of a series of courses designed primarily to teach the principles and techniques of special engineer skills. 

These courses were developed along MOS lines and accomplish a number of purposes: They serve as a basis for 

learning a skill when coupled with practical on-the-job training; as a review vehicle and refresher for those having 

had formal training, but who have not practiced the skill recently; and as a means of preparing for promotion or 

OS evaluation tests. Courses for 15 common MOS's are now being offered, with additional ones to be added to Pi list. Submit applications for enrollment on DA Form 145 through unit or activity commanders to the U.S. 

Army Engineer School, ATTN: DNRI, Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060. 
3 

The Cor of Enginee gnin the highlv , 

lship be lan anL4 

nce I 

the environmental and developmental needs of 

.t, the Corps has been 

charged by the President to put a handle on our 

najor ecolog L problems and then to solve them. 

"The Enviro~mental Syndrome," beginning on page 

16, tells where we're headed, and explains why.