HANOVER — Contractors digging a culvert at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory have unearthed animal carcasses and black trash bags. The origin of the carcasses are unknown; the property was formerly owned by Dartmouth College.

So far, there appears to be little contamination risk from these remains, but an investigation is ongoing.

“At this time there are no indications that the remains pose a health threat to the community,” according to an emailed statement from CRREL.

When the remains were found off Lyme Road on Sept. 9, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ facility halted work at the site and informed the college and the state of New Hampshire. The three entities are now working together to investigate.

So far, Dartmouth has not found any documentation that would clarify what the site was used for under the college’s ownership nor has it been able to identify the likely origin of the remains, Josh Keniston, senior vice president of capital planning and campus operations, said in a Tuesday interview.

Because the source of the remains is unclear, Keniston said environmental consultants will do a full investigation and thorough testing of the carcasses that have been uncovered and will try to determine the location of any other remains buried on the site.

“Neither the document review nor the prior testing is conclusive, which is why we’re moving forward expeditiously with this initial investigation,” Keniston said.

The college announced the discovery and a plan to investigate the remains in a Monday news release.

Last week, environmental consultants from GZA GeoEnvironmental visited the CRREL site and determined that an initial investigation will take two to three months. Keniston said the specifics of that process are still unclear but sometime in the next few days the firm will provide a detailed outline. At that point, the college will work with CRREL to figure out how best to implement the recommended approach.

CRREL did not know that any animal carcasses were buried on the site prior to this discovery, Justin Campfield, public affairs specialist at CRREL said via email.

When asked about the groundwater monitoring wells at CRREL and the review of historical data that did not show the presence of any hazardous materials, Campfield said two of these wells are within 30 feet of where the remains were found.

Rennie Farm

Previously, Dartmouth managed the cleanup of animal carcasses used in medical testing, including research involving radioactive materials, that were buried at the former Rennie Farm site in Hanover, which is several miles from CRREL.

A portion of the Rennie Farm property was a state-licensed burial site for animal carcasses used in medical testing, including radioactive material, throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

In 2011, Dartmouth excavated the dump site revealing unexpected chemical contamination.

Beginning in 2015, the contamination was found in the drinking water of one nearby home prompting outcry from residents.

Since then, Dartmouth has set up a system on the property to treat and test for contaminants; since the issue arose, one nearby well has been contaminated.

Keniston said that while he understands why last month’s findings may remind people of Rennie Farm, there are differences that might suggest less risk.

First, there was clear paper trail of the Rennie Farm site as a dumping ground for hazardous waste.

That “suggests to us that it was a slightly different operation, but again that’s not conclusive, so we’ll keep exploring,” Keniston said.

The second key difference is that environmental monitoring systems are already in place at CRREL and when reanalyzing that data, no issues were found with the groundwater. Keniston said this does not mean there are no contaminants or other problems that have not yet been tested, but it is a good sign.

Finally, Keniston noted the properties around CRREL are on the municipal water system, meaning there is not a risk of drinking water contamination. In contrast, properties around Rennie Farm had groundwater wells.

“At this point, we have not found anything that indicates a particular risk,” Keniston said.

When asked about any concerns given the history at Rennie Farm, Campfield said: “We cannot speak to the situation at Rennie Farm, but our priority is having the remains analyzed, disposed of and remediated as quickly as possible. We are committed to working with Dartmouth and the State of New Hampshire to make that happen.”

The Dartmouth College Environmental Health and Safety website, dartmouth.edu/ehs/campuscommunications, will be updated as new information about the remains at CRREL becomes available .

“The full testing process could take several months. As we get information, we’re not going to wait to the end of that testing process to share,” Keniston said.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.