During World War I, at a portion of American University and in other areas that became the Spring Valley neighborhood in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army operated a large research facility to develop and test chemical weapons and explosives. After World War I, the majority of the site was returned to private ownership and was developed for residential and other uses. The site now includes, in addition to American University, about 1,200 private residences, Sibley Hospital, 27 embassy properties, and several commercial properties. In 1993, buried ordnance was discovered in Spring Valley, leading to its designation by the Department of Defense (Defense) as a FUDS currently comprising 661 acres. FUDS are properties that were formerly owned, leased, possessed, or operated by Defense or its components, and are now owned by private parties or other governmental entities. These properties, located throughout the United States and its territories, may contain hazardous, toxic, and radioactive wastes; unexploded ordnance; and/or unsafe buildings. Such hazards can contribute to deaths and serious illness or pose a threat to the environment. According to the U.S. Army, Spring Valley is the only FUDS where chemical agents were tested in what became a well-established residential neighborhood at the heart of a large metropolitan area. To fund the environmental restoration program, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) established the Defense Environmental Restoration Account. During the 5 most recent fiscal years (1997-2001), annual program funding for FUDS cleanups has decreased from about $255.9 million to about $231 million, with program funding estimated to decrease further to about $212.1 million by fiscal year 2003. By the end of fiscal year 2001, the Corps had identified 4,649 potential cleanup projects on 2,825 properties requiring environmental response actions. Through fiscal year 2001 (the latest figure available), the Corps had spent about $53.4 million on cleanup activities at Spring Valley. The principal government entities involved at the Spring Valley site are carrying out their roles and responsibilities under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (environmental restoration program). The program was established by SARA, which amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Under the environmental restoration program, Defense is authorized to identify, investigate, and clean up environmental contamination at FUDS. Defense is required to consult with EPA in carrying out the environmental restoration program; EPA, in turn, has established written guidance under CERCLA for its activities at FUDS. Defense is also required to carry out activities under the environmental restoration program consistent with a statutory provision that addresses, among other things, participation by the affected states—in this case, the District of Columbia. Under the Corps’ program guidance, the District of Columbia has a role in defining the cleanup levels at the Spring Valley site. According to a District of Columbia Department of Health official, the department assesses the human health risks associated with any exposure to remaining hazards at Spring Valley. In carrying out their roles, these government entities have, over time, formed an active partnership to make important cleanup decisions. Under the partnership approach, each entity participates in the cleanup at Spring Valley. The Corps, with extensive experience in ordnance removal, is carrying out the physical cleanup. Other activities include the following: Identification of hazards: Defense consults with EPA and the District of Columbia on cleanup decisions at specified points in the environmental restoration process. EPA has provided assistance in identifying possible buried hazards by using photographic interpretation of aerial maps and providing technical expertise with regard to the presence of hazards in soil, water, and air. Assessing human health risks: According to the District of Columbia’s Department of Health, the department assesses the human health risks associated with any exposure to remaining hazards at Spring Valley. In addition, the District of Columbia, together with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), has been investigating whether residents have actually been exposed to arsenic in the soil. Selecting a cleanup level: The entities are currently finalizing decisions on a cleanup level for arsenic that will determine how much contamination can be left in the soil throughout the site without endangering human health and the environment. While the entities have not agreed on all cleanup decisions, officials of all three entities state that the partnership has been working effectively in the recent past. Continued progress at the site will depend, in part, on the effectiveness of this partnership over the duration of the cleanup. Although the U.S. Army twice concluded that it had not found any evidence of large-scale burials of hazards remaining at Spring Valley, an accidental discovery of buried ordnance and subsequent investigations have led to the discovery of additional munitions and chemical contamination. In March 1986, American University was preparing to begin the largest construction project in its history. At the request of American University, the U.S. Army reviewed historical documents and available aerial photographs of the site taken during the World War I era to determine whether chemical munitions might have been buried on campus. Based on the results of its review, in October 1986, the U.S. Army concluded that no further action was needed. However, in January 1993, a utility contractor accidentally uncovered buried ordnance at another location in the Spring Valley site. The U.S. Army immediately responded and, by February 1993, had removed 141 pieces of ordnance, 43 of which were suspected chemical munitions (but most were destroyed before being tested). Immediately following this removal, the Corps began to investigate the site. To focus its investigation, the Corps identified 53 locations with the greatest potential for hazards. During the investigation, the Corps conducted subsurface (geophysical) soil surveys with metal detectors to identify buried ordnance and analyzed soil samples to identify chemical contamination. The Corps’ soil surveys led the Corps to identify and remove one piece of ordnance containing a suspected chemical agent, 10 expended pieces of ordnance, an empty bomb nose cone, and several fragments of ordnance scrap. Concurrently with the Corps’ investigation, another piece of ordnance was found by a builder during construction activities, and two pieces of ordnance were anonymously left for the Corps to find. Based on the results of soil sampling and the ensuing risk assessment, the Corps concluded that no remedial action was needed. Following this investigation, in June 1995, the U.S. Army determined that no further action was required at the Spring Valley site, except for an area that contained concrete shell pits, or bunkers, referred to as the Spaulding/Captain Rankin Area, which was then still under investigation. Subsequent sampling and a risk assessment indicated that no remedial action was necessary, and in June 1996, the Corps recommended that no further action be taken at this area as well. In 1997, the District of Columbia raised a number of concerns about how the Corps had completed its investigation. In response, the Corps reviewed its work at the site and concluded that it had incorrectly located one of the potentially hazardous locations it had previously investigated, which should have been situated on a property owned by the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on Glenbrook Road. In February 1998, the Corps surveyed the soil on the South Korean property and identified two potential burial pits. By March 2000, the Corps had completed the removal of 288 pieces of ordnance, 14 of which were chemical munitions; 175 glass bottles, 77 of which contained various chemicals, including mustard and lewisite; and 39 cylinders and 9 metal drums. Subsequent soil sampling conducted by EPA led the Corps to remove arsenic-contaminated soil from these properties. By May 2001, the Corps had removed about 4,560 cubic yards of arsenic-contaminated soil from the South Korean property and the adjacent property. As of April 2002, the Corps had not yet removed contaminated soil from the third property, which is the American University President’s residence. After the discovery of hazards on the Glenbrook Road properties, in January 2000, at the request of the District of Columbia, the Corps expanded its arsenic investigation to include about 60 nearby residences and the southern portion of the American University campus. Sampling at these locations indicated that the Corps needed to remove arsenic- contaminated soil from the American University Child Development Center and other locations on the American University campus, and 11 residential properties. As of April 2002, the Corps had removed about 1,063 cubic yards of contaminated soil from American University. At a public meeting in February 2001, community members urged testing the entire Spring Valley neighborhood for arsenic. The Corps began to test all 1,483 properties within the Spring Valley site for arsenic in May 2001. As of April 2002, the Corps had identified about 160 properties that will require some degree of cleanup, with 7 identified for priority removals of arsenic-contaminated soil because they present relatively higher risks of exposure. Recently, the District of Columbia’s Department of Health has urged the Corps to consider including nine additional properties on the list. In addition, the Corps has sampled for additional chemicals at selected locations as a result of information it has about what type of research activities might have occurred at the locations in the past. The results of the sampling are currently under review, but preliminary results have not identified any additional chemicals of concern, according to the Corps. In May 2001, at the urging of the District of Columbia and EPA, the Corps began to investigate an additional burial pit on the property line between the South Korean property and the adjoining residence on Glenbrook Road. The Corps is continuing to investigate the burial pit, and as of January 2002, had found 379 pieces of ordnance, 11 of which contained the chemical warfare agents mustard and lewisite; fragments of another 8 pieces of ordnance; 60 glass bottles and 3 cylinders, 24 of which contained mustard, lewisite, and acids; and 5 metal drums that showed signs of leakage.