Site history: The Vieques Island Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Area (AFWTA) Superfund Site was used by the U.S. Navy for military operations from the 1940s until 2003.

Location: Vieques Island, seven miles southeast of mainland Puerto Rico.

Trustees:

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
• Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico

Case status: Remedial investigation and munitions response activities are ongoing.

Overview: Since the 1940s, the eastern side of the island was used for military training exercises, including naval gunfire and aerial bombing, while the western side was used for storage, open burning and detonation of munitions. Beginning in 2001, the U.S. Navy turned over land on the western end of Vieques Island to the Municipality of Vieques, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust. In early 2003, the Navy ceased all operations and finalized the transfer of property on the eastern end of the island to DOI for use as a wildlife refuge, with the former Live Impact Area to be managed as a wilderness area closed to the public.

The site was added to the National Priorities List on February 11, 2005. The Navy is conducting site investigations and cleanup activities on the island through both environmental and munitions response programs. NOAA provides scientific support to the Navy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding these ongoing response activities. NOAA is also helping to facilitate cleanup and restoration of Vieques Island through a variety of other activities.