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The Pennsylvania Game Commission will decide how to proceed with recommendations to deal with lead at the public shooting range in Ross Township after a federal agency determined there was no ground or water contamination off site.Commission spokesman Travis Lau said a meeting will be scheduled with the state Department of Environmental Protection to discuss recommendations presented at a meeting last week. Lau said he would have a better handle on &#8220;how we&#8217;ll follow them and if we&#8217;ll follow them&#8221; after the yet to be scheduled meeting.&#8220;We&#8217;re just not there yet until the meeting takes place,&#8221; he said Tuesday in a voice mail message.DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly stressed that there is no public health issue nor was there an environmental release that required immediate clean up. The department based its recommendations on the federal Environmental Protection Agency&#8217;s &#8220;Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges&#8221; that were revised in 2005.The EPA tested soil and water on and off site of the Pennsylvania State Game Lands #206 shooting range after a neighbor on Patla Road, Brian Gallagher, failed to generate interest with the state about the possibility of groundwater contamination. The results showed elevated levels of lead in the ground in and near the range and in the water near a backstop on site. High levels of the metal can cause adverse health effects in people.Gallagher said he felt somewhat vindicated by the recommendations and that he raised legitimate concerns. He was upset that nothing stronger than the recommendations were issued.&#8220;It&#8217;s appalling to me all they can do is, &#8216;You could do this,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These are the people that are supposed to be setting the example of good stewardship. You think they would be going the the extra mile.&#8221;He promised to continue to push for changes, saying, &#8220;This is far from over.&#8221;He still questioned whether the range would have been built at the location given the groundwater issues. Lead can dissolve in acidic water or soil and migrate into the groundwater. Runoff from the range flows into nearby Arnold Creek, a designated Class A wild trout stream by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission where trout naturally reproduce.Among the recommendations for the PGC were:&#8226; Engineer the shooting berms so that no water comes in contact with them or the lead bullets or shot contained in them&#8226; Reclaim the berms and set up a schedule to do so based on the use of the range and rounds fired&#8226; Annual testing of the pH level of the soil in the excavated and graded sections of the range and the parking area&#8226; Document and keep good records of the best management practices and recycling done at the range&#8226; Place signs on site to inform shooters and observers to stay away from the shooting berms where there is the greatest risk of lead exposure&#8226; Remove rocks from the shooting berms to prevent deflection of bullets or cover them with at least 2 feet of soil.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jerry Lynottjlynott@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews.</shirttailMeta></div>

No lead migration off site, but EPA recommends changes at Sweet Valley gun range