ATSDR - Public Comments Sought on Camp Bonneville Military Reservation Public Health Assessment

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ATSDR MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT

Public Comments Sought on Camp Bonneville Military Reservation Public Health Assessment

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2008

Public comments accepted April 10 through May 16, 2008

ATLANTA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is seeking public comments on their public health assessment on the Camp Bonneville Military Reservation in Clark County, Washington. On the basis of its evaluation of the available environmental information, ATSDR has categorized exposures to contamination at Camp Bonneville as no apparent public health hazard. This means that exposure to site-related chemicals might have occurred in the past, or may occur in the future, but not at levels likely to cause adverse health effects.

Though no public access is currently allowed on the property until it is cleaned up, ATSDR recommends the following:

Future visitors to the park should be educated about the appearance of Unexploded Ordinance and what to do should they encounter such materials.

Groundwater in the vicinity of Landfill 4 – approximately two acres located in the extreme northern area of the park – should not be used for drinking.

“No Hunting” signs should be posted throughout the property since hunting is not recommended in the future per the Camp Bonneville reuse plan.

Firing ranges in the park in the future are not recommended.

The United States Army gave early transfer of the 3,840-acre site to Clark County, which in turn transferred the property to the Bonneville Conservation Restoration and Renewal Team (BCRRT) for clean up. Upon completion of the cleanup, BCRRT will transfer the property back to Clark County for use as a regional park. Until the final transfer of the park back to Clark County, there is no public access allowed on the property.

Residents are encouraged to read the public health assessment and make comments during the month-long public comment period. A copy of the public health assessment is located at:

Vancouver Mall Community Library
8700 NE Vancouver Mall Drive
Site 183
Vancouver, WA 98662

ATSDR will accept comments on the public health assessment through May 16, 2008. Comments received during the public comment period will be logged in to the ATSDR administrative record for this public health assessment. Comments received, and ATSDR’s responses to the comments, will appear in the final public health assessment. Comments on the public health assessment must be made in writing. Mail comments to:

Records Center, ATSDR
ATTN: Camp Bonneville Military Reservation, Clark County, Washington
1600 Clifton Road, N.E. MS F-09
Atlanta, GA 30333

For more information about the public health assessment, call Katie Hanks, Health Assessor, at 770-488-0765 or Greg Zarus, Team Lead, (770) 488-0778 or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.

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Members of the news media can request an interview by calling the NCEH/ATSDR Office of Communication at 770-488-0700.

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Updated April 4, 2008
For more information, contact ATSDR at:
770-488-0700 or e-mail (news media)