Banner year for Formerly Used Defense Sites Program

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters
Published Oct. 18, 2017
Integration of innovative technologies, such as advanced geophysical classification techniques, will reduce the overall time and cost of remediation activities within the Formerly Used Defense Sites program.

Integration of innovative technologies, such as advanced geophysical classification techniques, will reduce the overall time and cost of remediation activities within the Formerly Used Defense Sites program.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It has been a banner year for the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program.  The program, which restores environmental conditions at sites formerly used by the Department of Defense to build and defend our Nation, successfully obligated 100 percent of its authorized $243.1 million budget and met all major milestones for fiscal year 2017, advancing cleanup efforts across the country.  

“The success in our mission execution extends beyond the financials, it is demonstrated in the on-the-ground benefits our cleanup program is delivering across the Nation,” said Christopher Evans, Chief of the Department of Defense Environmental Programs Branch for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters.  This past year we have advanced cleanup efforts on over 780 active formerly used defense sites and continue to monitor more than 120 sites across the United States.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers executes the Formerly Used Defense Sites program on behalf of the U.S. Army and Department of Defense.  The program cleans up properties formerly owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed, by the Unites States and transferred outside of Department of Defense control prior to October 1986.  To date, the Corps has identified 5,357 cleanup sites at 2,716 different properties where cleanup actions are required.  Of these 5,357 cleanup sites, 3,513 have either been closed out or are currently in monitoring status.  In fiscal year 2017 alone, the Corps completed cleanup on nearly 70 sites.

“A key element of our ongoing remediation efforts is the integration of innovative technologies, such as advanced geophysical classification, into our remediation activities,” said Evans. “This is enabling us to clean up sites faster and at a reduced cost.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District recently awarded a remedial action contract for use at the Former Camp Fannin formerly used defense site in Tyler, Texas which will utilize advance geophysical classification techniques. This technology will enable the project team to identify items buried under the ground to a greater level of specificity, reducing the need to dig up every anomaly detected.  It can distinguish if items are munitions, rebar, or even debris. This technology is projected to not only reduce the time of cleanup, but also reduce the total project cost by up to 60 percent, when compared to more traditional geophysical approaches.

Evans also credits the program’s success on the talented and dedicated team supporting the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program.  With more than 380 teammates supporting this program across the country, and in coordination with state environmental and health offices and the public, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to advance efforts to set conditions for a sustainable future.

Learn more about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Mission at:
http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/