National Park Seeks Public Input on Quarry Firing Range Cleanup

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Entrance. PC: NPS

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on an engineering evaluation/cost analysis for the selection of a cleanup action at the former Quarry Firing Range site in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

The cleanup, or removal action, is not time-critical. It will address surface soils impacted with heavy metals at the former Quarry Firing Range (QFR) site.

The National Park Service (NPS) seeks to inform the public of the availability of the EE/CA document from Nov. 2 through Dec. 1, 2020, at the information repository linked below. The public is encouraged to review and comment on the document before the NPS finalizes a decision.

Investigations were conducted at the QFR site from 2013 to 2017. Results indicate that bullets and bullet fragments were observed within the thin layer of soil surrounding the former backstop, firing line/lanes, and other related areas. Lead, antimony, and copper were determined to be contaminants of potential concern.

Potential human receptors include site workers and recreational users. Potential ecological receptors include plants, soil invertebrates, birds, and mammals, including several protected wildlife species — the Hawaiian hoary bat, Hawaiian goose, Hawaiian short-eared owl, and Hawaiian hawk.

The QFR site is located on the southeast flank of Mauna Loa volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i, approximately 10 miles south of park headquarters. It is situated in an abandoned quarry about 260 feet west of Highway 11. The use of the former quarry as a firing range reportedly began in 1940. The site was used in this capacity until 1982.

The non-time critical removal action is expected to address risks to human health and the environment as well as eliminate the need for further cleanup actions at the site. Additional documents will be added to the Administrative Record File (also available at the information repository listed below) as work at the site proceeds. These additional documents will include, but may not be limited to, a Non-Time Critical Removal Action Completion Report, and future documents regarding further actions at the site.

The EE/CA report and all other Administrative Record Files for the QFR are available at:

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Headquarters Building
1 Crater Rim Drive
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
By Appointment Only
Hours: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: 808-985-6073

The Executive Summary of the EE/CA and the Community Involvement Plan are available online.
Comments on the EE/CA may be submitted electronically at the website listed or in writing to:

Ms. Danielle Foster
Environmental Protection Specialist
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
P.O. Box 52
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
danielle_foster@nps.gov