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LA District FUDS team makes progress on Nellis Remedial Action projects

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District
Published Aug. 31, 2023
Los Angeles District environmental lead and Formerly Used Defense Site program manager Harry Hendler, pictured in white, answers questions for Clark County residents during a public meeting discussing the Nellis Remedial Action FUDS Project July 25 at the Aliante Library in Las Vegas.

Los Angeles District environmental lead and Formerly Used Defense Site program manager Harry Hendler, pictured in white, answers questions for Clark County residents during a public meeting discussing the Nellis Remedial Action FUDS Project July 25 at the Aliante Library in Las Vegas.

Mario Maldonado, an ordnance explosive safety specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, pictured during a site visit of the Nellis Remedial Action Munitions Response Site 02 and Site 03 July 25 in North Las Vegas. Site 02 remediation progress is moving according to schedule and will potentially conclude in late 2024. Maldonado works on several Formerly Used Defense Site projects in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Mario Maldonado, an ordnance explosive safety specialist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, pictured during a site visit of the Nellis Remedial Action Munitions Response Site 02 and Site 03 July 25 in North Las Vegas. Site 02 remediation progress is moving according to schedule and will potentially conclude in late 2024. Maldonado works on several Formerly Used Defense Site projects in California, Nevada and Arizona.

From left to right, Randy Tabije, South Pacific Division Formerly Used Defense Site program manager; Kay Chang-Minami, Los Angeles District FUDS project manager; and Harry Hendler, district environmental lead and FUDS program manager, stand together for photo after answering questions for Clark County residents during a public meeting discussing the Nellis Remedial Action FUDS Project July 25 at the Aliante Library in Las Vegas.

From left to right, Randy Tabije, South Pacific Division Formerly Used Defense Site program manager; Kay Chang-Minami, Los Angeles District FUDS project manager; and Harry Hendler, district environmental lead and FUDS program manager, stand together for photo after answering questions for Clark County residents during a public meeting discussing the Nellis Remedial Action FUDS Project July 25 at the Aliante Library in Las Vegas.

Representatives with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District hosted a public meeting to discuss a Formerly Used Defense Site, or FUDS, project with Clark County residents July 25 at the Aliante Library in Las Vegas.

Geophysicists, munitions experts, chemists and program managers with the South Pacific Division’s Sacramento and Albuquerque districts answered questions about the Nellis Remedial Action Munitions Response Site 03 FUDS Project.

“Once the remediation process is complete, the city will benefit by being able to use the land that once presented a potential hazard,” said Harry Hendler, Los Angeles District environmental lead and FUDS program manager.

The Department of Defense is responsible for environmental restoration of properties that were formerly owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by, the U.S. and under the jurisdiction of the U.S. secretary of defense before October 1986. The Corps executes the program pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liabilities Act.  

“MRS 03 is currently in the remedial investigation phase, but after cleanup is completed, the City of North Las Vegas plans to develop the MRS 03 site into a restaurant and entertainment center (will be zoned as commercial area) to support future UNLV-north campus and nearby communities in North Las Vegas,” wrote Kay Chang-Minami, Los Angeles District FUDS project manager, in a provided statement.

There are more than 10,000 potential FUDS properties across the country and its territories ranging in sizes from less than an acre to hundreds of thousands of acres. The FUDS areas can be found in industrial or residential areas as well as on federal, tribal or state properties.

“Nellis MRS 03 FUDS Project is going well,” Chang-Minami said. “Stakeholders are currently reviewing the draft final Quality Assurance Project Plan as it relates to remedial investigation process.”

The Corps is dedicated to protecting human health and the environment by investigating and, if required, cleaning up potential contamination or munitions that may remain on these properties from past Department of Defense activities.

“Investigation is currently scheduled to start in January 2024 after the holidays,” Chang-Minami added.

As of Sept. 30, 2021, approximately 5,400 FUDS areas nationwide have been identified for investigation and cleanup.

The LA District supports the public and military in Arizona with a variety of projects and planning, engineering, construction and environmental services. Projects include flood-risk management, navigation, recreation, and infrastructure and environmental stewardship.