Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground ( APG ) is a United States Army facility located in Aberdeen , Maryland , ( in Harford County ) . Part of the facility is a census - designated place ( CDP ) , which had a population of 3 , 116 at the 2000 census . History . APG is the U . S . Army ' s oldest active proving ground , established on October 20 , 1917 , six months after the U . S . entered World War I . Its location allowed design and testing of ordnance materiel to take place near contemporary industrial and shipping centers . The proving ground was created as a successor to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground , which was too small for some of the larger weapons being tested . At the peak of World War II , APG had billet ing space for 2 , 348 officers and 24 , 189 enlisted personnel . The Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground is approximately 13 , 000 acres and includes Gunpowder Neck , Pooles Island , Carroll Island , and Graces Quarters . The Edgewood area was used for the development and testing of chemical agent munitions . From 1917 to the present , the Edgewood area conducted chemical research programs , manufactured chemical agents , and tested , stored , and disposed of toxic materials . There are 38 , 600 people living within three miles of the site . On - site residences house military personnel and military dependents . From 1955 to 1975 , the U . S . Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal , Maryland . The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low - dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals . About 7 , 000 soldiers took part in these experiments that involved exposures to more than 250 different chemicals , according to the Department of Defense ( DoD ) . Some of the volunteers exhibited symptoms at the time of exposure to these agents but long - term follow - up was not planned as part of the DoD studies . The agents tested included chemical warfare agents and other related agents : Other component locations within Arberdeen Proving Ground . Other parts of APG not attached to the main installation include the Churchville Test Area in Harford County , and the Carroll Island and Graces Quarters in Baltimore County , Maryland . The Churchville Test Area is a test track with hills that provide steep natural grades and tight turns to stress engines , drivetrains , and suspensions for army vehicles , including M1 Abrams tanks , Bradley Fighting Vehicle s , and Humvee s . The eastern half Carroll Island was used as a testing location for open air static testing of chemical weapons since the 1950s . During tests of chemical agents and other compounds at Carroll Island , Maryland , from July 1 , 1964 to December 31 , 1971 nearly 6 - 1 / 2 tons of chemicals were disseminated on the test area including 4 , 600 pounds of irritants , 655 pounds of anticholinesterase compounds such as the nerve gasses Sarin and VX , and 263 pounds of incapacitants such as LSD . Simulant agents , incendiaries , decontaminating compounds , signaling and screening smokes , mustard , and herbicides were also released as well as riot control gasses . The test sites consisted of spray grids , a wind tunnel , test grids , and small buildings . Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical - weapon s depot located at APG . Elimination of the chemicals held here was put on an accelerated schedule after the September 11 , 2001 , attacks , and all chemical weapons were destroyed by February 2006 . The U . S . Army Ordnance Corps Museum previously located at APG , was moved to Fort Lee , Virginia as a result of the 2005 Base Relocation and Closure ( BRAC ) Act . Geography . APG is located at and occupies a land area of . Its northernmost point is near the mouth of the Susquehanna River , where the river enters the Chesapeake Bay , while on the south , it is bordered by the Gunpowder River . The installation lies on two peninsulas separated by the Bush River . The northeastern is known as the " Aberdeen Area " and the southwestern is called the " Edgewood Area " ( formerly the " Edgewood Arsenal " ) . According to the U . S . Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of , of that , of it is land and of it ( 5 . 09 % ) is water . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 3 , 116 people , 805 households , and 763 families residing in the CDP . The population density was 274 . 1 people per square mile ( 105 . 8 / km² ) . There were 902 housing units at an average density of 79 . 3 / sq mi ( 30 . 6 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the CDP was 50 . 5 % White , 34 . 6 % African American , 0 . 6 % Native American , 3 . 1 % Asian , 1 . 3 % Pacific Islander , 5 . 7 % from other races , and 4 . 2 % from two or more races ; 11 . 2 % of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race . There were 805 households out of which 78 . 0 % have children under the age of 18 living with them , 84 . 1 % were married couples living together , 8 . 0 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 5 . 2 % were non - families ; 4 . 3 % of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 52 and the average family size was 3 . 63 . In the CDP the population was spread out with 40 . 1 % under the age of 18 , 10 . 3 % from 18 to 24 , 44 . 9 % from 25 to 44 , 4 . 4 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 2 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 25 years . For every 100 females there were 113 . 9 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 117 . 6 males . The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 38 , 875 , and the median income for a family was $ 40 , 306 . Males had a median income of $ 26 , 943 versus $ 26 , 194 for females . The per capita income for the CDP was $ 12 , 808 . About 4 . 2 % of families and 5 . 6 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 6 . 4 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over . Under the Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) program , as announced in 2005 , the APG is projected to lose the Ordnance School and associated R & D facilities with 3862 military and 290 civilian jobs moving to Fort Lee , Virginia . APG will gain 451 military and 5 , 661 civilian jobs from Fort Monmouth , New Jersey . There is a net loss of 3 , 411 military jobs under BRAC and a net gain of 5 , 371 civilian jobs . Enhanced - use lease . In 2005 , APG executed an Enhanced use lease ( EUL ) partnership with Opus East , L . L . C . ( a subsidiary of Opus Corporation ) , a commercial real - estate development company . The EUL allows APG to ground lease “ temporarily underutilized ” land of the installation to a selected real estate developer . APG uses the proceeds from the ground lease for facility improvements and maintenance on the installation ( i . e . , new buildings , infrastructure improvements , deferred maintenance , road upgrades on post , etc . ) . In June 2009 , Opus East assigned its EUL development rights to St . John Properties , Inc . , a Baltimore - based commercial real estate development firm . Under the EUL , St . John Properties has entered into a long - term ground lease of federally owned property for the development of commercial office space and research - and - development ( R & D ) space . The EUL development will provide new , high - quality buildings and facilities for the military / civilian tenants and their supporting government contractors who are relocating to APG because of the 2005 round of the BRAC process . The development of the EUL , known as The GATE Office and Technology Park or “ The GATE ” project , comprises 416 acres ( 1 . 68 km2 ) , 11 land bays , and up to of development potential both inside and outside the secure perimeter of APG . St . John Properties is building new speculative office and R & D buildings for lease to both defense contractors and military / federal agencies . In addition to office and R & D buildings , St . John Properties is developing an office and retail component just outside APG ’ s security gate . The GATE is being developed to meet anti - terrorism and force - protection standards , and will include sustainable - design elements to achieve LEED Silver Certification . The GATE is strategically located to allow private military contractors ( PMCs ) doing work for various military commands on APG to be closer to their client . The first building at The GATE was delivered in 2008 to CACI , an information - technology security PMC . In October 2010 , L - 3 Communications took occupancy of a building at The GATE , as did Raytheon Company , another building . In 2010 , St . John Properties delivered three additional speculative buildings for lease . Complete development of The GATE project is expected to span five to 10 years . Contamination . The Edgewood area of the Aberdeen Proving Ground site was proposed to the Environmental Protection Agency ' s National Priorities List of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites requiring long term remedial action on April 10 , 1985 . The site was formally added to the National Priorities list on February 21 , 1990 . The Edgewood area has large areas of land and water and numerous buildings that are contaminated or suspected of contamination . Virtually all the land areas of the site contain contaminated or potentially contaminated sites and potentially buried ordnance . Substances disposed of in the area include significant quantities of napalm , white phosphorus , and chemical agents . On - site surface waters include rivers , streams , and wetlands . On - site ground water sampling has identified various metals , pesticides , phosphorus , and volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) and chemical warfare agent degradation products . On - site soil contamination sampling has identified various VOCs , metals , PCBs , pesticides , and unexploded ordnance in surface and subsurface soil . On - site surface water sampling has identified various metals , pesticides , phosphorus , and VOCs . People who accidentally ingest or come in direct contact with contaminated ground water , surface water , soil , or sediments may be at risk . The area is a designated habitat for bald eagles . Edgewood area standby water supply wells in the Canal Creek area previously served approximately 3 , 000 people . The wells have been abandoned . The Long Bar Harbor well field of the County Department of Public Works and the well field used by the Joppatowne Sanitary Subdistrict serve 35 , 000 people within three miles of the site . On - site groundwater sampling has identified Perchorate , various metals , volatile organic compounds ( VOCs ) and chemical warfare agent degradation products . On - site soil contamination sampling has identified various VOCs , metals , and unexploded ordnance in surface and subsurface soil . On - site surface water sampling has identified various metals , pesticides , phosphorus , and VOCs . People who accidentally ingest or come in direct contact with contaminated groundwater , surface water , soil , or sediments may be at risk . The area is a designated habitat for bald eagles . Controversies . A scandal at the APG surfaced in 1996 . The U . S . Army brought charges against twelve commissioned and non - commissioned male officers for sexual assault of female trainees under their command .