News Story Archive

News Story Manager

LA District prepares for next round of FUDS cleanup in Kingman

Published Aug. 23, 2013
KINGMAN, Ariz. – Fran Firouzi, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, talks with a member of the public at an informational public meeting held Aug. 20 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles meeting facility in Kingman, Ariz. about the upcoming time-critical removal action work at site of the former Kingman Ground-to-Ground Gunnery Range. The work at the site will "abate, prevent, minimize, stabilize, mitigate, or eliminate the release or threat of release” of contaminants according to 40 Code of Federal Regulations 300.415(b) (1) at up to 42 properties in the area in addition to the ten properties already completed.

KINGMAN, Ariz. – Fran Firouzi, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, talks with a member of the public at an informational public meeting held Aug. 20 at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles meeting facility in Kingman, Ariz. about the upcoming time-critical removal action work at site of the former Kingman Ground-to-Ground Gunnery Range. The work at the site will "abate, prevent, minimize, stabilize, mitigate, or eliminate the release or threat of release” of contaminants according to 40 Code of Federal Regulations 300.415(b) (1) at up to 42 properties in the area in addition to the ten properties already completed.

KINGMAN, Ariz. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District held a public meeting Aug. 20 in Kingman, Ariz. to discuss upcoming time-critical removal action work at the site of the former Kingman Ground-to-Ground Gunnery Range.

This is “round two” for the District. Contractors worked in the spring to clean up ten properties of soil which was contaminated with chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The contaminants were leftover from the clay pigeon debris strewn across the ground when the area was used as a skeet range during WW II.

World War II-era clay pigeons were constructed with coal tar pitch which contains the PAHs. Skeet remnants, or the debris from these particular clay targets, remain in the area.  During the upcoming round of clean ups, the Corps and the contractor will "abate, prevent, minimize, stabilize, mitigate, or eliminate the release or threat of release” of contaminants according to 40 Code of Federal Regulations 300.415(b) (1) on up to 42 properties.

“We will be taking the contaminated soil out and replacing it with clean soil,” said Fran Firouzi, the District’s project manager. “We’re hoping to get started on the next phase in mid- to late-September.”

Once the project begins, the District will work the properties in phases. If all goes according to plan, the District will complete two phases before taking a break for the holidays and complete the rest of the properties in early 2014.

During the “construction” phase, the District and its contractor will remove all of the landscaping, rocks similarly mobile items to store them in a secure location. The District will provide relocation assistance for residents and their pets since they will not be allowed back on to their properties once the work begins. Work on the properties should take three to four weeks.

Once the District completes removal of up to two feet of soil and replacement with clean soil, the contractors will return the removed items, unless the owner or resident asks for the items to remain off the property. Once the owners or residents certify the property is acceptable, they return to their residence.

“The Corps of Engineers is here to take care of the people in these communities,” Firouzi said. “The first phase of the project went well and we’re looking forward to the next phases. This work will mitigate the risk to the health of the residents here.”

The District will maintain documents and reports related to the work being done in the area at the Mohave County Library.