Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwestern Arizona between the city of Yuma and the town of Quartzsite in La Paz and Yuma counties. The Corps of Engineers is investigating and monitoring this area through the Formerly Used Defense Sites, or FUDS Program, for munitions and explosive hazards that may remain from previous military activity. This page provides information on King Valley Impact Area, which is part of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge FUDS.
The King Valley Impact Area project comprises 15,113 acres and is located in the south-central portion of Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The project area was used as an artillery impact area where various types of artillery, antitank practice mines and general purpose bombs were used. Previous inspections by the Corps of Engineers have uncovered multiple expended fuzes, unidentifiable fragmentation, impact craters and tank tracks. In 2008, a Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma Explosive Ordnance Disposal team discovered two unexploded munitions within the King Valley Impact Area.
Today, the property is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website, more than 80 percent of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge is designated as wilderness. It offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy wildlife watching, photography, hiking, camping and limited hunting.
The Corps of Engineers continues to investigate the King Valley Impact Area and is planning a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study to determine if additional clearance activities are required.