Clark County’s Camp Bonneville Military Reservation site has the potential to be a gem for local residents. So, as cleanup efforts continue at the former military training facility, the goal must be to prepare the area for safe and extensive public use.
That is a daunting task, considering the 3,840-acre site was used for live-fire exercises to train soldiers from 1909-95. That left behind an untold amount of lead contamination and a staggering number of unexploded munitions. But as the clearance continues — a project being paid for by the U.S. Army on land now owned by Clark County — the long-term prospects for camping or hiking or other recreational activities are intriguing. As The Columbian wrote editorially in 2015, “A jewel of a property such as Camp Bonneville is an opportunity that Clark County must polish.”
Along those lines, the Washington Department of Ecology is seeking public comment through Sept. 18 regarding proposed changes to the cleanup plan for the area (http://tinyurl.com/y9qvxagj). Any changes must be undertaken with concern for public safety in preparing an addition to the county’s numerous recreation outlets.
The process has been a difficult one, as cleanup efforts began a decade ago and quickly ran into problems. In 2009, an investigation exposed about $150,000 in questionable expenses by the original contractor, including expensive lunches, fine wines, and gift baskets for key players. Clark County terminated that contract in 2010, and the project has proceeded more smoothly since then.
That does not, however, mean that it is easy or inexpensive. As of a year ago, more than $23 million had been budgeted for the cleanup, and that number is expected to increase. Contractors have said that the Army greatly underestimated the scope of the contamination both from lead and from unexploded ordnance.
The project has been broken into four phases, and the first two have been completed. Work on the third phase — the central impact target area, which was targeted by large artillery guns — is expected to begin next year. That area will remain closed to the public, with Greg Johnson of Clark County Public Works telling The Columbian, “No one will ever be allowed in here in perpetuity. It’s completely off-limits — even for firefighting. We’re never going to get every item here; it’s not possible. If there was a fire out here and one of those rounds went off when they were trying to fight it … it’s best to just let it burn.”
That hints at the difficulty of the cleanup. It also hints at the importance of giving thought to long-term environmental degradation throughout the country. Taxpayers spend billions of dollars each year cleaning up the mistakes of the past, mistakes that were created at a time when society gave little thought to environmental concerns.
Yet while a portion of Camp Bonneville will never be usable, the remainder offers much promise for Clark County residents. The hilly, heavily wooded site about 5 miles northeast of Vancouver includes a bucolic valley bisected by Lacamas Creek that could become a haven within easy reach of populated areas.
Eventual plans for the region remain to be worked out, and many more years of labor will be required before Camp Bonneville is ready for public use. But if that work is performed thoroughly and appropriately, it will be well worth the effort in providing long-term benefits for local residents.
