The Army needed to perform the study to determine if catchboxes were an advantage or disadvantage to the environment. Testing DU ammunition by the U.S. Army has resulted in several thousand kilograms of DU in soils that also contain unexploded ordnance at Aberdeen, Jefferson and Yuma Proving Grounds. The contaminated areas range from 1200 to 6000 acres at each site. Catchboxes were constructed at some of the ranges to limit the DU deposition in the environment and to facilitate remediation.
Sand is the media typically used in the catchboxes to slow the rounds so that they can be contained.
The results provide that between 69 and 99 percent of the rounds fired are contained in the two catchboxes. Catchboxes are more easily, safely and less expensive to remediate than the open ranges.