A sign and a barbed wire fence keeps visitors out of the artillery impact area at Camp Bonneville. Residents said recent information provided to the state Department of Ecology shows law enforcement is exceeding its allowed use of the property. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian files)
Additional cleanup of unexploded munitions will likely be needed to make Camp Bonneville safe for public access as envisioned when the U.S. Army transferred the former training grounds to Clark County more than a decade ago, according to a draft county report sent to the state Department of Ecology.
The county hired PBS Engineering, based in Portland, to produce the report as part of the county and state’s required periodic review of cleanup efforts at the 3,840-acre property.
“Further clearance (to depths of greater than 14 inches) may be appropriate in areas that are planned for future public use. Additional methods for clearance should be undertaken for certain areas of the park where intensive use will occur, such as campgrounds, picnic areas, recreation areas and playgrounds,” the report states.
Camp Bonneville was established in 1909 as a drill field and rifle range for troops stationed at Fort Vancouver. Various branches of the military used the training camp for 85 years.
Since it closed in 1995, the focus has been on clearing the area of unexploded ordnance, explosive compounds, munitions fragments and lead, as well as removing soil and groundwater contaminants.
When ownership of Camp Bonneville was transferred to the county in 2011, it was contingent on the Army’s agreement to provide funding to support the environmental cleanup required to restore the land for safe civilian use.
The cleanup was divided into five areas called Remedial Action Units, or RAUs. They include former firing ranges, munitions disposal areas, a landfill and a sewage lagoon, in addition to the sitewide removal of unexploded munitions and groundwater contamination.
In an October presentation to the county council, Kevin Tyler, manager for the county’s parks and lands division, said four of the five areas have been cleared, with only the groundwater contamination remaining to be addressed, which could take several years. Last month, the Army gave the county another $6 million to assist with that effort.
Residents living near Camp Bonneville have long disputed the efficacy of the cleanup efforts and whether the property should ever be made available to the public. The residents also argue allowing law enforcement agencies to use the shooting range and detonate explosives on the site only adds more contamination to the property and delays the cleanup.
The county council has directed staff to end the use of explosives by the Portland-area metro bomb squad. During the county council’s Wednesday meeting, Chair Sue Marshall confirmed that the bomb squad is no longer using explosives at Camp Bonneville. It was unclear if that order has been given to all law enforcement agencies using the site.
“Was it the intention to assure the public that all agencies will stop using explosives, or just this single entity? It’s an important distinction, since more than the metro bomb squad are using explosives, and all uses of explosives were ended by the Army in 1995,” Camp Bonneville neighbor Patty Reynolds told the council Wednesday.
Reynolds was one of several people who attended the council meeting in hopes of addressing issues related to Camp Bonneville.
“There seems to be a basic misunderstanding over what is a natural conservation conveyance,” said Jim Byrne from the Friends of Clark County. “How is the firing range, deployment of chemical agents, and storage and detonation of explosives compatible with the restrictions outlined in the U.S. code for conservation conveyance? How are they compatible with the conservation of natural resources?”
According to the Camp Bonneville Reuse Plan, one-third of the property is intended for use as a regional park. The remaining two-thirds, which include nearly 500 acres permanently fenced off due to the danger from unexploded munitions, is reserved for open space and wildlife preservation.
“We are concerned about the apparent conflict with use restrictions. We are worried that these activities will continue to contaminate the property, and we believe that the community has legitimate concerns regarding wildfire, groundwater contamination and lack of public engagement,” Byrne told the council. “Camp Bonneville is a beautiful wild place that has experienced much abuse in its history, and it was provided to the county with the intent of remediation and the purpose of natural resource conservation.”
Cleanup of unexploded munitions wasn’t the only issue identified in PBS Engineering’s report. It also identified problems with a former lagoon.
“During the inspection completed for this review, the lagoon was breached and water flowed from the lagoon to the nearby surface road,” the report states.
PBS recommended installing a cap or something similar to contain the contaminated soil, remove ponding and repair the breach in the former lagoon.
The report also found breaches in fencing around the property, primarily due to downed trees, that need repair. Additionally, the report recommends adding warning signs along roads and trails, firing ranges, and around the central impact area fence.
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Tyler said Wednesday that the fencing repairs have been an ongoing issue but were a priority.
As part of the periodic review process, the state Department of Ecology is expected to hold a public meeting to allow review and comment on all related information, including the PBS Engineering report. However, the date and time for that meeting has not been scheduled.
Public Works staff and Deputy County Manager Amber Emery declined to comment or respond to questions for this story, instead pointing to the work session and Camp Bonneville webpage.
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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