Shallow Water Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site: Many unexploded ordnance (UXO)-contaminated sites requiring cleanup contain wetlands, ponds, lakes and tidal areas with a water depth of 10 feet or less. Shallow water areas are estimated to cover approximately 202,000 acres. Detecting and discriminating unknown objects through water and sediment provides challenges for traditional magnetometers and electromagnetic sensors and opens the door for other technologies such as sonar-based systems.

The establishment of the Shallow Water Standardized UXO Technology demonstration site at Aberdeen Proving Ground was an example of the Army's continuing commitment to the environmental remediation of all Department of Defense ranges. The site was designed to independently test and compare the performance of current UXO detection sensors and systems. It also provided a developmental area for private industry and academia interested in improving and testing existing or emerging shallow water detectors. The site was in use for approximately two years; it was closed in fall 2007.

Site Description: The bottom of the site was primarily composed of sediment removed from the nearby Bush River. Ferrous and non-ferrous clutter was cleared from the site to eliminate extraneous signatures. The test site contained five areas: a calibration grid, a blind test grid, a littoral area, an open water area and a deeper water area. Water level at the blind grid area varied between 1 to 10 feet. The test area ranged in size between 3.7 and 6.9 acres, depending on water level.

The calibration area contained fifteen projectiles, three each of the following calibers 40-, 60-, 81-, 105- and 155-mm. One of each projectile type was buried at a projectile diameter-to-depth ratio of 1:1, 1:5 and 1:11. In addition, two "clutter-cloud" target scenarios were constructed. The calibration area was designed to provide the user with a sensor library of detection responses for the emplaced targets and an understanding of their resistivity, prior to entering the blind test fields. Target emplacement data sheets and GPS coordinates were provided to users of this area.

The blind grid area contained 644 detection opportunities. Each grid cell was 2 meters square. At the center of each cell was either an ordnance item, clutter, or nothing. Users received the GPS coordinates for the center of each grid.

The littoral zone was constructed using a sloping area on one side of the pond. Water depth ranges from 0.3 to1.8 meters. It contained a variety of navigational and detection challenges.

The deeper water area ranged in depth from 3.4 to 4 meters when the blind grid area was under 2.4 meters of water.

The open water scenario contained various navigational, detection and discrimination challenges. The scenario included all the water-covered ground except for that in the previously mentioned test areas.

The data reduction program provided an automated system for scoring sensor and system performance in both the response and discrimination stages. Performance reports were posted on the program's Web site, allowing free access to testing and demonstration results.

Diagram of Shallow Water Site