"An environmental assessment of the joint Chattanooga-Hamilton County firing range on Moccasin Bend indicates that the nearly 40 years of spent bullets at the site may be causing lead-laden surface water to flow into the Tennessee River.

And local and federal officials say they may need to review a recent decision to keep the guns firing on the Bend.

The assessment, paid for by the National Park Service to estimate the cost of cleaning up the site, shows that about 6,147 tons of surface soil across five areas on the range contain more than 400 mg/kg -- the federal Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable lead limit for the site."

Louie Brogdon reports for the Chattanooga Times Free Press October 10, 2014. [2]