The Former Borrego Hotel Target Area and Emergency Landing Field site encompasses approximately 222 acres of desert in San Diego County, California. The site is situated east of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and approximately 3.5 miles southeast of the town of Ocotillo Wells.
In July 1941, the U.S. Navy acquired 160 acres of land for the San Diego Naval Air Station. The Navy constructed a 250-foot by 2,600-foot dirt runway. In addition, a bombing target consisting of three concentric circles was developed on the site. The Navy used the site for high-altitude bombing, dive bombing, strafing (firing automatic weapons by aircraft on ground targets) and emergency landing activities. The site was active from 1941 through 1955, at which time it was declared excess to the needs of the Navy. In 1956, the federal government sold the property to a private landowner.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began investigating the Former Borrego Hotel Target Area and Emergency Landing Field in 1994 through the Formerly Used Defense Sites, or FUDS, Program. Since that time the Corps of Engineers has identified that practice bombs, projectiles and small arms may remain on the site due to former military training activities.
The Corps of Engineers presented the selected remedy for the site in the 2016 Borrego Hotel Decision Document. The remedy involves a ground surface removal of munitions and explosives of concern, and a community information campaign to educate landowners and other future users about potential hazards that may remain at the site. The Corps of Engineers will also conduct long-term management, including five-year reviews, to assess whether the remedy remains effective in protecting human health and the environment.
An Administrative Record containing copies of the Corps of Engineers’ reports and investigations has been compiled and is available for public review at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District office. Interested parties may contact the Corps of Engineers at the number provided below to schedule a time to review the documents.