Subject:YourqueryregardingEnochFirstNationpressconference Goodafternoon, TheDepartmentofNationalDefencehasbeenworkingwiththeEnochCreeNationformanyyearson unexplodedordnancecleanupontheYekauLakeFormerPracticeBombingRange,a520Haparcelof landapproximately18kilometressouthwestofEdmonton.Becausethesafetyandsecurityofthepublic isapriorityfortheDepartmentofNationalDefence(DND)andtheCanadianArmedForces(CAF),DND willbecontactingtheEnochCreeNationfordetailsonthediscoveryofthispieceofordnance. Asbackgroundtothisissue,theYekauLakeFormerPracticeBombingRangewasusedbetween1942 and1944bytheBritishCommonwealthAirTrainingPlantotrainalliedaircrewsinnavigationand bombingtechniques. ThemostfrequenttypeofpracticemunitionusedonBritishCommonwealthAirTrainingPlan(BCATP) sites,andtheonlytypeconfirmedatYekauLake,wasthe11.5lbpracticebomb(flashorsmokevariety).

). TheUXOandLegacySitesProgramhasconductedextensiveworkatthissitesince2006,including: anairbornegeophysicalsurveyofa375Haarea(2007)tolookformetallic"hotspots"overa largeareathatcouldrepresentclustersofUXOormunitionsscrap; groundbasedelectromagneticsurveysin2009and2010toconfirmtheextentofthe bombingrange,and; diggingofsampleof533metallicobjectsidentifiedfromtheabovegeophysicalsurveysto ascertainwhethertheseitemswerebombsorbombcomponents.Themajoritywithinthe innersurveyareawerepartialpracticebombcomponents.Themajorityintheouterring werenonmunitionsmetallicscrap(e.g.,popcans,etc.). TheaboveprogramofworkprovidedDNDwiththeinformationrequiredtoconductariskassessment anddevelopariskmanagementplanforthesite.Theriskassessmentconsistedofananalysisof explosivehazardandpotentialforhumaninteractionbasedonlanduseaswellasthedistribution, natureandextentofpotentialUXO.Theriskassessmentidentifiedmitigationmeasures,primarilya limitedclearance,thatwastobeconductedforpublicsafety. Duringthesummerof2011,alimitedclearanceoftheYekausitewasconductedtohelpreducetheUXO andtofurtherinformtheriskassessmentprocess.Followingallthiswork,atotalofapproximately4,000 bombfragmentswereremoved.Nointacttrainingbombswerefound,andnohighexplosiveswere foundeither.ThesitehassincebeenreassessedashavingalowUXORisk. TheDNDUXOandLegacySitesProgramstrivestoprovidethepublicwithasafeandriskfree environment.However,limitationsofexistingUXOdetectiontechnologymeansthatnoUXOlegacysite caneverbedeclaredcompletelyhazardfree,evenafteraclearanceactivity.Thepublicshouldexercise cautionwheneverventuringintotheseareas.ObjectsthatcouldbeUXOshouldbereported immediatelytolocalpolice. FurtherinformationregardingUXOsafetycanbefoundatwww.uxocanada.forces.gc.ca. Regards, TinaCrouse ADM(PA)|SMA(AP) NationalDefence|Dfensenationale