Posted on 07/22/2016 9:35:25 AM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA A representative from the Army Corps of Engineers revealed the findings Wednesday of a four-year munitions study of more than 1,500 acres in the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area (SPRNCA), southeast of the San Pedro House.
The study was looking for live munitions or other environmental factors from World War II Army use that would impact the acreage. Two live explosives and fragments of explosives in the dense, thorny acreage were discovered. A third live explosive was carried out by a hiker and turned over to tlocal authorities.
It is not a hospitable site, said 1st Lt. Jesse Laurie of the Los Angeles District of the Corps, of which Sierra Vista is a part. Laurie is a project manager for Formerly Used Defense Sites, a project of the U.S. government that seeks to reclaim ground that was once used for defense training, among other activities. The SPRNCA land that is under study was used as an urban training ground for the US Army during World War II.
The site includes 72 acres of the former town of Charleston, now called the Charleston Maneuver Area; 569 acres called Artillery/Mortar Range, Range Safety Buffer Area; 548 acres called Artillery/ Mortar Range, Range Potential Target Area A; and 316 acres called Artillery/Mortar Range, Potential Target Area B. Today the properties, which butt up against the east boundary of Fort Huachuca and includes SPRNCA land on the west, is under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management.
In its Proposed Plan for Remedial Action in the Former Fort Huachuca, the Corps is recommending three levels of clean up. The first level, for the Charleston Maneuver Area and the Artillery/Mortar Range, Range Safety Buffer Area, is to place signage at the trailheads concerning the 3Rs of Explosives Safety. They would say: Recognize that you may have come across a munition and that munitions are dangerous. Retreat: Do not approach, touch, move or disturb a suspect munition, but carefully leave the area. Report immediately what you saw and where you saw it to local law enforcement.
The cost for signs comes in at about $110,000, according to the report.
Although the signs sound ominous, Laurie said they looked at 1,550 acres and found two items. It is not a minefield, he said.
The second level of remediation concerns the Artillery/Mortar Range, Potential Target Area B and, in addition to signs, includes removal of munitions and explosives that might be lying on the ground. That is estimated to cost about $2.8 million.
The last piece of ground, which, according to the report, will cost more than $9 million to fix, will include making a digital geophysical map, then a removal of munitions on the surface and subsurface down to two feet.
However, at this time the funds have not been allocated by Congress and theres no estimate of when the monies will be released, as this is a low-priority site, Laurie said. The public affairs specialist with the Los Angeles District, Dave Palmer, said the problem can be fixed with signs and public education.
Theres been at least partial remediation throughout the years, things exploded on-site, Palmer said. Its a very remote site Were not expecting to find more (munitions) based on statistical data. We feel that weve given it a very good look.
One of the seven members of the audience at Wednesdays meeting did ask for a time frame.
Maam, have you ever seen Congress in action? Laurie asked. He said he does not expect anything to happen any time soon.
However, it is hoped, Laurie said, that the signs will be in place within a year.
In the meantime, the Army Corps of Engineers is looking for public comment about the plans. The report can be accessed at the Sierra Vista Public Library. The public comment period ends on Tuesday, July 26.
Comments may be made to 1st Lt. Jesse Laurie, R.G., PMP, Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Cespl-PM-M. The email address is jesse.laurie@usace.army.mil.
A third live explosive was carried out by a hiker...
That’s smart.
Money!
For ecologists, coming from the Army Corps of Engineers management but from DOD funds, right?
THAT Her Hillaryness can approve.
THAT Obola can approve.
Hopefully Ft. Huachuca still has an active impact area for AZ ARNG units to train with the light and heavy weapons. I remember that there was a tank gunnery range on post back in the late 70s and early 80s.
I had a buddy come back from Guadalcanal. You had to stick to well market paths while hiking. They decided to go cross country. Got about 50m into the woods and turned around.
UXO everywhere...
It is not a hospitable site,
Hmmmm, kind of like parts of France and Belgium?
Well, your government and employer pissed away $150 billion to Iran. You could have used some of that.
All done during the time of WJK and his wife Hillary.
My son does UXO. I would love for him to get a job in Sierra Vista.
Project manager Office jesse.laurie@usace.army.mil
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