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Proposed Underwater Unexploded Ordnance Survey Design
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UXO Study Area, North
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UXO Study Area, South
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AUV Survey Area
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The Vieques Underwater Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Demonstration Project (November 2006) was a limited hydrographic survey of an area with known underwater ordnance located in Bahiá Salina del Sur off Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. A secondary project area on the north coast of the LIA, Bahia Salinas was also surveyed although with fewer project components. These surveys included participants from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS), NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R),
University
of
New Hampshire
’s Joint Hydrographic Center (UNH), Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic Munitions Response Program (NAVFAC Lant), and GeoMarine, Inc. This project represents an interdisciplinary approach to determine the feasibility of using modern seafloor mapping technology as an effective and efficient means to evaluate underwater UXO and munitions debris detection and discriminating technology capabilities at a known underwater UXO site.
Bahiá Salina del Sur is on the southern shore and Bahia Salinas is on the northern shore near the eastern tip of
Vieques
Island
. The bay areas are both approximately ¾ by ½ nautical miles. Depths range from the shoreline to approximately 60 feet deep. The land adjacent to Bahiá Salina del Sur and Bahia Salinas were used for many years as military training grounds. A variety of training exercises occurred throughout the region and many types of munitions were used and are known to have landed in both of these bays.
Survey Objectives
The Vieques Underwater UXO Demonstration Project primary objectives are:
- Support NAVFAC Lant’s evaluation of the public safety hazard posed by UXO and munitions by determining, where practicable, the quantity, types and distribution of munitions and other objects present on the surface of the seafloor in the project area;
- Describe the habitat associated with individual objects in the survey area by using high resolution side scan and multibeam sonar, magnetometer, remotely operated vehicle and SCUBA divers;
- Demonstrate the effectiveness of various hydrographic technologies to help guide planning and technology choices for future underwater surveys; and
- Generate a final report of findings.
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