Lead Shot Initiative

The Holyoke Revolver Club has joined with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to ensure the long term protection of the environment. Organized through the auspices of Gun Owners Action League (GOAL), the Lead Shot Initiative is a state-wide program to help shooting organizations cope with the demands of managing and recovering lead expended in the course of shooting activities. A series of meetings with the DEP and its local representative Tom Keefe of the Springfield office were held, starting in 2000. Tom has been a great friend and resource. He is a shooter and understands the unique requirements of a facility such as ours. During the course of several visits to the range, Tom and club management have been able to understand how the ranges are used, where lead deposits would be contained, the flow of groundwater and other factors that allow the Club to plan for the management of lead. The goal is to prevent lead from leaching into the soil and its possible migration to ground water.

The Club developed an Environmental Stewardship Plan and filed it with the DEP in August of 2001. It was accepted and indeed praised for its thoroughness.

The club continues to monitor and control ranges in several ways. Lead breaks down or leaches when it oxidizes in contact with moisture. This can be rainwater, which in New England is usually acidic, or groundwater, which may or may not cause the lead to break down. Lead leaches when the Ph level of the water or soil is outside of a range of 6.5 to 8.5. The level is tested and controlled by the application of limestone to the areas that would collect lead such as the area in front of the 50 yard pistol range targets. Drainage work, done in this area, in conjunction with the Holyoke Conservation Commission, has resulted in a solution which included the drainage pipe being encased in a mixture of trap rock and limestone. When rain or groundwater reaches the drain, it has been treated by contact with the limestone, neutralizing the Ph level and preventing soluble lead from being transported to the ground water supply. At the 100 yard Rifle Range, an earthen berm was constructed to act as a backstop for all rifle bullets. The face of the berm has a two-foot layer of sand, which can be removed, sifted to recover spent lead bullets, and replaced. Limestone is also applied in powder form to balance the Ph level, which is monitored. The indoor range is managed by best practice to include periodic recovery and recycling of lead and brass. Those involved in the recovery follow proper safety procedures, including wearing approved face masks and clothing and using HEPA filters on vacuum equipment.

The Holyoke Revolver Club is committed to protecting not just our property. Recognizing that what we do can have a positive effect on neighbors near and far, sportsmen and women have always been among the first to stand up for the preservation of our natural resources. We will continue in that tradition.