The Gerstle River Test Site near Fort Greely is a 19,000 acre area used by the Army for chemical and biological weapons. Gerstle River flows into the Delta River, a tributary of the Tanana River. The Gerstle River Test Site was acquired by the U.S. Army in 1952 for an indefinite period and used by the Dugway Proving Ground for chemical and high explosives testing from 1954-1962. The Army's Arctic Test Center used Gerstle River for surveillance testing of chemical munitions from 1962-1967. In addition, the Delta Creek watershed on Fort Greely adjacent to the U.S. Air Force Bombing Range was also used for biological warfare materials testing from 1963-1967.

The following history of the chemical and biological weapons tests on the Gerstle River test site is excerpted from a formerly classified Army document:

"In 1954, Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) initiated a comprehensive program for the surveillance testing of chemical and biological materials in the five major environments. The Gerstle River Test Site, located approximately 30 miles south of Fort Greely, Alaska, was established as the Arctic Test Site. A chemical testing facility was constructed at Gerstle River Test Site to accommodate the environmental surveillance testing and dissemination testing of chemical munitions. This structure was also utilized as a command post and security post and has had at least one guard posted around the clock since its construction. A chemical Arctic Test Activity was established at Fort Greely in 1956 as a Class II activity which reported directly to DPG. This activity consisted of two officers and twenty-five enlisted personnel. In 1964, this activity was designated the U.S. Army Arctic Test Center. In July 1976, the Arctic Test Center was redesignated the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center.

From 1954 to 1962, a comprehensive Arctic Environmental/Surveillance Program on Chemical Corps material was conducted at the Gerstle River Army Test Site. Limited cold weather dissemination testing of GB and VX was conducted in this area. Single round, statically fired GB-filled munitions were tested in the winters of 1955-56 and 1956-57. Six trials of VX-filled mines were conducted in the winter of 1960-61.; each trial consisted of statically functioning one VX-filled mine and one simulant-filled mine to test dispersion characteristics in an Arctic environment.

When the U.S. Army was reorganized in 1962, USATECOM was assigned the responsibility for the conduct of the CB Long TermEnvironmental/Surveillance Program. The Chemical Arctic Test Activity atFort Greelythen became a division of the Arctic Test Center; DPG wasdesignated by USATECOM as the monitoring agency for the conduct of this program.

In 1962, the Deseret Test Center (DTC) was established with headquarters in Fort Douglas, Utah; DTC initiated field testing at the Gerstle River Army Test Site in December 1962. Liaison was achieved and maintained with Commander in Chief, Alaska, Fort Greely, Arctic Test Center; and the State of Alaska Fish and Game Department.

Testing was conducted by DTC in three general areas at Fort Greely: (1) the Gerstle River Army Test Site, (2) the expanded Gerstle River Test Site, and (3) the Delta Creek area.

The majority of testing at the Gerstle River Army Test Site was with single round, statically fired, chemical munitions. However, GB-filled 155mm howitzer shells were dynamically fired into spruce forests. Simulant-filled and HE 155mm howitzer shells were also fired into spruce forest and aspen forests to determine height of burrst information for planning Devil Hole I and II. The only dud/malfunctioned munition that was reported in all of the DTC testing conducted at Gerstle River test areas was on this program; the unlocated dud was a dynamically fired M107 155mm HE shell fired 28 August 1964. This was on the high angle height of burst test in an aspen forest at grid location 9A vicinity. Significantly, all of the test grids at the Gerstle River Test Site have been sampled and declared free of residual agent hazard. Residual test munitions have been disposed of and the munitions holding areas have been completely closed.

Several large scale trials were conducted in the expanded Gerstle River Test Site at grid locations 9, 10 (aspen grid location), and 11 (spruce grid location). Statically and dynamically fired agent GB munition dissemination trials were conducted in the large aspen forest at grid location 9; included were some trials using dynamically fired GB-filled 155mm howitzer shells. Agent VX trials were conducted (July 1966) at grid locations 10 and 11; also included were dynamically fired 155mm howitzer trials at grid location 10.

Blueberry Lake became a controversial subject during the 1969/1970 period and to date is a sensitive issue. In the winter of 1965, a number of chemical munitions were stored on the ice of Blueberry Lake for ultimate disposal during the same year. For unknown reasons, the shells were neglected and finally sank to the bottom of the lake during the spring thaw. The incident became known sometime in 1969 and DTC assisted Arctic Test Center in a project to remove the shells from the bottom of the lake." (from the Installation Assessment of Gerstle River Test Site, Department of the Army, Office of the Project Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration, December 1976).

The Army contends that the materials from the chemical weapons tests were disposed in a "safe" manner, through disposal in refuse pits or incinerated. They also claim that the biological weapons test areas are "safe." Alaska Community Action on Toxics notes that no independent verification of the Army's claims has ever been made, nor have the disposal areas been sampled for hazardous waste leakage.