In a release from the National Park Service (NPS), the area will remain closed and fenced with cement barriers and a “no trespassing” sign to remain on the premises while the US Army further investigates the metal canisters, which were found in the spring.
“Based on investigations to date, the [National Park Service] and the Army have determined it is possible Fort Totten Park contains additional munitions,” the NPS, which manages the park, said in a release on Thursday.
Fort Totten Park is a Civil War memorial site in Washington DC. The fort, which was built between 1861 and 1863, belonged to the Union Army. It is located in northeast DC, near the Maryland border. And this is not the first time the park has closed, either. In 2020, a portion of the park was closed after an unexploded WWI-era ordnance was found.
“The two metal canisters, found April 18, were discovered in the park after unauthorized work conducted by an adjacent property owner pushed approximately 10 feet of soil onto NPS land,” the park service continued.
According to NPS, one munition was a 75-mm projectile, about 3 inches in diameter and 11 inches long. The other was a “Livens projectile”, measuring 6 inches in diameter and 19 inches long. The report writes that the 75-mm projectile “did not pose a hazard” and the Livens projectile contained “an unknown liquid”.
After testing, the 75-mm projectile was shown to only contain soil. Meanwhile, the Livens projectile was filled with 99.9994% water and 0.0006% of the liquid was a commercial chemical called acetophenone. The chemical is not hazardous, and is used in the perfume industry for fragrance, soaps, and perfumes as well as for a flavoring agent in foods, the NPS said in their release.