The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $850,000 grant to determine the health effects of discarded military munitions at Ordnance Reef in Wai'anae.

The grant was given to the University of Hawai'i's Applied Research Laboratory to supplement a 2006 study done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA study of discarded World War II munitions off the Wai'anae Coast showed that the munitions posed no immediate danger to the public or environment.

The early study, however, did not consider changes in water quality and biotic and sediment composition. The study will take about a year.

The Applied Research Laboratory is a research center for basic Navy and national defense science, technology and engineering with a focus on naval missions.