The Camarillo Airport Formerly Used Defense Site, or FUDS, is located within the city limits of Camarillo, in Ventura County, California, approximately 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles. In 1942, the U.S. Public Roads Administration developed Camarillo Airport on approximately 100 acres of farmland as a landing strip for light planes. In 1943, the U.S. Army Air Corps acquired the landing strip and an additional 303 acres from local farmers. The site became known as Oxnard Flight Strip and was used for flight training, aircraft maintenance and troop housing during World War II.
In late 1947, Oxnard Flight Strip was returned to the Public Roads Administration, which leased the property to Ventura County to operate as an airport. From 1947 to 1951, the county allowed the airport to be used by the Army, the California Air National Guard, the Naval Air Missile Test Center and various civilian aircraft operations.
The U.S. Air Force acquired the property in 1951. Between 1951 and 1963, the Air Force acquired an additional 1,311 acres of land to accommodate the expansion of the runway and construction of additional facilities. The flight strip was renamed Oxnard Air Force Base in 1953. From 1951 to 1969, Oxnard Air Force Base was used as a military fighter installation by Aerospace Defense Command, and fighter aircraft training using rockets and missiles took place there. During this time, a wide variety of military munitions and commercial explosives were destroyed on site by the Air Force Explosive Ordnance Detachment of the 414th Material Squadron. Oxnard Air Force Base was declared excess to government needs in 1970 and transferred to the General Services Administration.
In 1973, the General Services Administration began transferring land of the former Air Force base to the Pleasant Valley Parks and Recreation Department, religious organizations and private businesses. Four acres were transferred to the U.S. Navy. In 1975, Ventura County obtained 616 acres, including the airstrip, and renamed the property Camarillo Airport. Today, Camarillo Airport is used as a general aviation airport, and the remaining land not owned by Ventura County is home to various public and private commercial businesses and local law enforcement academies.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began investigating the Camarillo Airport property in 1990 through the FUDS Program. Since that time the Corps of Engineers has investigated the property for potential munitions hazards and environmental contaminants related to previous military activities. The Camarillo Airport FUDS property has been divided into eight projects. This website provides information on the following projects: the Open Burn/Open Detonation Range and the Abandoned Landfill.