Answers to the questions below are provided and based on information available as of August 1, 2008.
- What does the acronym FUDS mean?
- When did the military use the site and what occurred there?
- What military munitions were used at the site?
- Why is the Corps involved?
- What will the Corps do?
- When will the cleanup occur?
- What should I know about munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) to keep my family safe?
- What government agencies are involved with this site? How can I contact them?
- I've heard the Corps can't clean up MEC from under my home. What danger exists from it remaining in the ground below my house?
- How will MEC remaining in the ground affect lead levels?
- How do I find out if property I want to purchase was once owned by the military?
- How do I keep informed about what the Corps is doing?
- I understand that when the Corps studies or cleans up the site, they'll need access to my land. Do I have to be home to let the Corps on my property? What if I don't want the Corps on my property?
- What about property values?
- The 1946 Certificate of Clearance states that Camp Fannin was cleared of all dangerous and/or explosive material reasonably possible to detect. How could there still be MEC at the site?
- What does the acronym FUDS mean?
FUDS stands for Formerly Used Defense Site.
- When did the military use the site and what occurred there?
The military used Camp Fannin during World War II as an Infantry Replacement Center. The government acquired the 14,093-acre site in 1942, and activated an Air Corps Replacement Training Center in April 1943 at the site, which was converted to an Infantry Replacement Training Center in July 1943. Later that same year, a prisoner-of-war camp was activated. Troop capacity was 18,680 and the camp hospital could accommodate 1,074 patients (McDonald, 2000). Camp Fannin served primarily as a training post to provide replacement troops for casualties sustained during World War II. Improvements constructed at the site included administration buildings, supply and storage buildings, barracks, a hospital, ordnance training areas, utilities, and numerous other support facilities. A Women's Army Corps (WAC) detachment was based at the site during 1944, and the camp became a separation point following the end of the war in 1945.
- What military munitions were used at the site?
The munitions known or believed to have been used at Camp Fannin included .22 cal, .30 cal, and .50 cal small arms ammunition, projectiles ranging in size from 37mm up to 105mm, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, rifle and hand grenades, 2.36-inch rockets (Bazooka), 60 and 81mm mortars, and miscellaneous items such as dynamite, flares, etc.
- Why is the Corps involved?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program. In 1986, Congress established the FUDS Program to clean up properties that were owned, leased, possessed or used by the Army, Navy, Air Force or other Defense agencies prior to October 1986.
- What will the Corps do?
The Corps' Fort Worth District manages the Camp Fannin FUDS project. The district has worked with other Corps offices to research the military history of the site. Next, the district will investigate possible MEC contamination at the site, which will determine if a response action is needed. The district has acquired funding to begin the investigation in 2008.
- When will the cleanup occur?
Before a cleanup (or other response action) can occur, the Corps must investigate and prepare the right documentation for the site. The Corps will begin this action in fall 2008 with the initiation of a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study. Any response actions recommended by the RI/FS are dependent upon funding from Congress.
- What should I know about munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) to keep my family safe?
MEC, regardless of condition and age, can be very dangerous. People who find something that might be a MEC item should mark the location and call local law enforcement. (In Winona, call 911.) People should never touch, move or disturb the item in any way. The Corps encourages parents to educate their children about MEC safety.
- What government agencies are involved with this site? How can I contact them?
The Corps is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) (Ms. Maureen Hatfield, 512-239-2034) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Mr. Gary Miller, 214-665-8306).
- I've heard the Corps can't clean up MEC from under my home. What danger exists from it remaining in the ground below my house?
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) is only dangerous if disturbed. Any UXO items under rigid structures such as concrete slabs, sidewalks, asphalt roadways, etc., are generally safe from disturbance and will remain stable. UXO is generally safe until some type of direct contact is initiated with it.
- How will MEC remaining in the ground affect lead levels?
The body of one version of the MK 23 miniature practice bomb was made of lead, but such a large piece of lead is unable to leach significant quantities of metal into the ground. The leaching ability of a metal is directly proportional to its surface area (i.e., the larger the surface area, the more leaching.) Because surface area is indirectly proportional to particle size (i.e., the smaller the particle size for a given weight of metal, the more surface area), a large "particle" of lead, such as a practice bomb body, has virtually no leaching ability. (In contrast, a similar amount of lead in powdered form has a much larger leaching capacity because the particle size is smaller and the surface area is larger.)
- How do I find out if property I want to purchase was once owned by the military?
Previous military ownership is usually identified in a title search. Other sources of information include the local library, government archives and older residents who live in an area.
- How do I keep informed about what the Corps is doing?
Public involvement is an important part of the Corps' FUDS Program. The Corps may host public meetings, distribute news releases, print public notices in the newspaper, host a website, mail fact sheets and other information to interested citizens, and establish a Restoration Advisory Board.To receive mailings, you can request to be added to the former Camp Fannin project mailing list by calling the Corps' Fort Worth District Public Affairs Office at 817-886-1313 or sending an email to FUDSmailinglist@usace.army.mil. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. You may also give your daytime and evening phone numbers and email address. (You can be removed from the mailing list at any time by calling 817-886-1313.) A Restoration Advisory Board, or RAB, is made up of interested community members who reflect the diverse interests of the local community, as well as representatives of state, local and federal agencies. A RAB is designed to serve as a focal point for the exchange of information between the Corps and the community. There is currently no RAB for the former Camp Fannin, but if you are interested in participating in a RAB for this site, contact the Corps' Fort Worth District Public Affairs Office at 817-886-1313. In addition, the Corps has documents related to the Camp Fannin FUDS project that are available to the public. The information repository for these documents is the Tyler Public Library.
- I understand that when the Corps studies or cleans up the site, they'll need access to my land. Do I have to be home to let the Corps on my property? What if I don't want the Corps on my property?
The Corps and/or its contractors will not enter any individual's property without written consent (called a "right of entry"). If a property owner signs a right of entry agreement, he/she does not have to be home when the Corps and/or its contractors do their work. (Depending on the type of work, sometimes the property owner cannot be home to ensure his/her safety.) If a property owner refuses to sign a right of entry, the Corps will not enter the land.If you sign a right of entry and later change your mind about allowing the Corps access to your property, simply inform the Corps of your decision to disallow entry. The Corps' employees and/or contractors will leave if they are already present when notified of your change of mind.
- What about property values?
The Corps is not authorized to study property values associated with FUDS properties.
- The 1946 Certificate of Clearance states that Camp Fannin was cleared of all dangerous and/or explosive material reasonably possible to detect. How could there still be MEC at the site?
Based on experience at other Formerly Used Defense Sites properties, the Corps knows that 1940s-era munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) clearances were very different than 21st-century munitions response clearances. It was standard practice to bury recovered MEC items; many sites were in remote, undeveloped locations; and advanced technology for detecting subsurface ordnance was not available.The 1946 Certificate of Clearance refers only to a visual surface clearance operation performed without the use of subsurface instrumentation. This would limit the clearance to surface only. Thus, any subsurface ordnance would not have been discovered during this action. Subsequent ground disturbances may have resulted in unearthing subsurface ordnance.
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