The Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for environmental restoration of properties that were formerly owned by, leased to or otherwise possessed by the United States and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense. Such properties are known as Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). The Army is the executive agent for the program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages and directs the program's administration. The scope and magnitude of the FUDS program are significant, with more than 10,000 properties identified for potential inclusion in the program. Information about the origin and extent of contamination, land transfer issues, past and present property ownership, and program policies must be evaluated before DoD considers a property eligible for Defense Environment Restoration Account (DERA) funding under the FUDS program. Environmental cleanup at FUDS properties is conducted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
Charleston District FUDS Projects:
Camp Croft, SC: This project consists of a formerly used World War II Army Infantry Replacement Training Center, which consisted of two general areas: a series of firing ranges, and a troop housing area with attached administrative headquarters. The current land usage is 7,088 acres for Camp Croft State Park, 4,936 acres for farming, 256 acres for private industry, and 6,764 acres for residential development. Thirty-four (34) live ordnance items and 722 pounds of ordnance scrap were removed in the Ordnance Operable Unit 3 (OOU3) area.
Donaldson AFB, SC: The property contains many "Areas of Concern," sites and sub-sites that are actively being addressed including landfills, aircraft wash sites, underground storage tanks, and fuel fields. The Former Donaldson Air Force Base is located in Greenville, South Carolina at the current Donaldson Industrial Center. The site was used as an operational air base from 1942 until January 24, 1964. After WWII the base was closed and later reopened as the Global Headquarters of the Military Air Transport Command (MATC) and renamed Donaldson Air Force Base in 1951. The property was transferred to the City, and County of Greenville, South Carolina in 1964. It is currently owned 50/50 by the city and county, with some private industrial ownership of the peripheral areas.
Conway, SC: The former Conway Bombing and Gunnery Range was utilized for training beginning in 1942. Conway BGR was declared surplus by February 1948. Exiting leases for approximately 36,600 acres were terminated and the remaining 19,200 acres were sold. Several of these target ranges are identified to either contain ordnance related items or to have a high likelihood of ordnance related items. This area is rapidly developing and many developers and landowners have initiated and/or completed clean-up actions on their own initiative.