Posted on 07/23/2016 6:55:59 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 local 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 there’s 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 mitigated with signs and public education.
“There’s been at least partial remediation throughout the years, things exploded on-site,” Palmer said. “It’s a very remote site…We’re not expecting to find more (munitions) based on statistical data. We feel that we’ve given it a very good look.”
One of the seven members of the audience at Wednesday’s meeting did ask for a time frame.
“Ma’am, 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 Wednesday, July 27.
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.
To date, no comments have been received.
Also involved in preparing the report were the Bureau of Land Management, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Bristol Environmental Remediation Services.
Not to worry. If the right developer wants the land for something, I guaran-damn-tee Congress will find the money.
Key words being: Right Developer.
Right Developer being: Deep enough pockets to “convince” the Congress Critters of the viability of the development.
“Illegal Aliens need not be reported if spotted”
If only we had a couple of $trillion dollars for “shovel ready projects” to take care of this stuff...
WHERE THE HELL DID ALL THAT MONEY GO?????
If we had the Illegal Aliens march through that area stomping hard on the ground and ordinance, might not any stomped on UExO self solve both problems?
In Arizona you can get rid of explosives, but you must leave their Rattlesnakes alone. Many of their rattlesnakes are protected and you’ll go to jail if you harm one of the little sweethearts.
Any state that will put Rattlesnakes on their endangered species list after I’ve spent a lifetime trying to make them an endangered species is a state I don’t care to live in.
http://jrreptile.tripod.com/id44.htm
A 1,500 acre Sanctuary City?
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