Army Corps of Engineers to Look for Buried Munitions at Camp Fannin By COSHANDRA DILLARD, Staff Writer   |   Feb 09, 2009

Field work is scheduled to begin in March to investigate potential explosive hazards and munitions on privately owned land near the former Camp Fannin site.

Camp Fannin was an infantry training center from 1943-46 that sprawled over 14,000 acres near Winona. It was turned over to private landowners when the camp was deemed an excess after the war, which left unexploded ordnance, or weapons, across the former camp.

Once closed, there was limited technology to detect ordnance that may be hidden in the ground, said Fred Tolen, a Zapata Inc. project manager. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has contracted Zapata Inc. to lead the investigation of a 9,800-acre area.

"The Army Corps of Engineers prepares reports and studies where sites need to be addressed," Tolen said. "Our archives search report came out and indicated what kinds of items were used when the camp was an active military facility." Those items include small arms ammunition, mines, grenades, rockets and mortars

Officials are requesting permission from area property owners to enter the area and sent out 636 right-of-entry forms for 1,079 properties. Officials said the feedback has been positive so far.
An investigation began in 2003 but it never reached the field work stage, officials said. Officials used an engineering evaluation/ cost analysis type of study. This year, they will undergo an improved study called remedial investigation/feasibility study. "It accomplishes much of what the other projects would have but it's more comprehensive," Tolen said.

Next month, crews will survey property with metal detectors and collect soil and/or water samples. The second phase, geophysical mapping, is scheduled to begin in April. "That gives us an understanding of what we need to investigate further," Tolen said.

The third phase will consist of digging up suspected munitions identified in previous phases and is expected to begin in June. A field office will be set up at the site and teams of unexploded ordnance (UXO) qualified technicians will explore the area.

In recent years, a number of unexploded shells, grenades, dynamite and ammunition have been found at the site. A 60-millimeter Winchester M4 round was found in the yard of a Summerwood Estates home, off of U.S. Highway 155 in 2003.

In a 2001 Army Corps of Engineers report, the former camp was rated a No. 1 on a scale of 1 to 5 for dangerous former military sites, presenting the most potential for danger.

Camp Fannin received the most dangerous ranking for several reasons, including its close proximity to residences, unrestricted access and the type of munitions possibly found on the surface. Ralph Campbell, project manager from the Huntsville office, said people should use precaution if they find ordnance.

"The safety message is very important," he said. "If you see something, recognize that it's an ordnance, leave it alone and retreat from the area and report it." Campbell said to call local police if ordnance is spotted.

"It needs to be treated with great respect," Campbell said. "We use UXO qualified technicians that are skilled and most are military-trained. They will determine if ordnances are explosive. We destroy it where it is or move it to another location to be destroyed."

Field work for the project is expected to be finished in the fall, officials said.