Camp Bonneville Military Reservation

Evergreen Fuel photoSITE DESCRIPTION

The Camp Bonneville Military Reservation site (Camp Bonneville) is approximately 3,840 acres in size, including 800 acres of state-owned land. Camp Bonneville is located approximately five miles from the Vancouver City limits in Clark County. It borders both sides of Lacamas Creek and is approximately seven miles north of the Columbia River. Over half of the site is forested.

The Department of Defense (DOD) owned and operated Camp Bonneville for firing range practice and training from 1910 to 1995. During that time, military ammunitions were stored and/or used at the site—including artillery ammunition, mortar ammunition, air-launched rockets, shoulder-fired rockets, guided missiles, bombs, land mines practice grenades, fuses, and small arms ammunition.

The camp was officially closed in 1995. Since then, investigations have been ongoing to characterize the contamination from the ammunitions and other hazardous substances and to develop a plan for re-using the site once it’s cleaned up. Identified contaminants include unexploded ordnance, explosive compounds, lead, petroleum products, pesticides and volatile organic compounds in the soil, and perchlorate and explosive chemicals in the ground water.

For cleanup purposes, Camp Bonneville has been divided into five remedial action units.  These units are primarily grouped by the nature of the particular release, not by physical boundaries (see descriptions at right).

From February 2003 to October 2006, the Army conducted investigations and cleanup actions at Camp Bonneville under an Enforcement Order issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). In October 2006 the US Army transferred Camp Bonneville deed to Clark County. The county subsequently transferred the deed to the Bonneville Conservation Restoration and Renewal Team (BCRRT). Clark County and BCRRT, as the conservation non-profit property owner, entered into a Prospective Purchaser Consent Decree (PPCD) with the State of Washington. Ecology, BCRRT, and Clark County all have specific responsibilities within the PPCD:

  • Ecology is the lead regulatory agency with primary responsibility to oversee the cleanup actions performed by BCRRT. The site is being cleaned up under the Washington State cleanup law, the Model Toxics Cleanup Act (MTCA).
  • BCRRT is responsible for the immediate cleanup of the property. The PPCD establishes requirements and deadlines for BCRRT to investigate and cleanup the site.
  • Clark County is responsible for the long-term obligations of the property and will monitor the work and issue payments to BCRRT and their contractor from funds provided by DOD. Once the property has been cleaned up to Ecology standards, Clark County will retake possession of the deed and redevelop the area as a park and habitat conservation area.

Public Involvement Opportunities

Important Notice -- Open Comment Periods

There are two comment periods open for the RAU-3:

  1. Draft Interim Action and SEPA determination for the Central Impact Target Area: 
    May 28 - June 29, 2009.
  2. Draft Cleanup Action Plan and SEPA Determination for RAU 3:
    June 8 - July 8, 2009
    Open House Meeting June 25, 2009

RAU 3 - Draft Cleanup Action Plan

Fact Sheet - Information about the Public Comment Period June 8 - July 8:

Central Impact Target Area (CITA) of Remedial Action Unit 3 (RAU 3)

Public Comment Period - May 28, 2009 – June 29, 2009

Ecology is holding a public comment period from May 28 through June 29, 2009 on cleanup work planned for the Central Impact Target Area (CITA) of Remedial Action Unit 3 (RAU 3).  The work plan describes the procedures that will be used to remove vegetation, surface and subsurface munitions and explosives of concern (MEC), munitions debris (MD), and 15 “hard targets” (old vehicles and appliances) within the Central Impact Target Area (CITA).

A fact sheet for this comment period contains information about this work and how you can send your comments to Ecology.

Documents available for review include the:

Camp Bonneville Update April 2009

What is new at Camp Bonneville?  A newsletter describes the site background and provides a comprehensive review of site-wide cleanup accomplishments. 

Final Cleanup Action Plan RAU-2A, Small Arms Ranges

Related Information

Additional Resources

 

 

map showing site location as Clark County, WA SITE INFORMATION

Facility Site ID: # 5093080

Important Notice --
Open Comment Periods


Location:
Proebstel, Clark County

Contact:
Ben Forson, Site Manager
(360) 407-7227

Status: Ranked, Remedial Action in Progress Get definitions of Status terminology


Remedial Action Units (RAU)
RAU-1” consists of 20 areas where hazardous substances (other than military ammunition) have been found.

RAU-2A” covers 21 small arms ranges.

RAU-2B” consists of two demolition areas where ammunitions were either burned or detonated.

RAU-2C” covers a landfill area that was also used to burn or detonate ammunition.

RAU-3” includes the entire site where ammunition