County to seek contractors to resume Camp Bonneville cleanup
August 3, 2011
Contact: Peter Capell, Public Works Director
(360) 397-6118 ext. 4071; [email protected]
County to seek contractors to resume Camp Bonneville cleanup
Vancouver, WA – Clark County will move quickly to seek proposals from contractors to resume the cleanup that stalled in 2009 at Camp Bonneville. The county plans to issue a formal “request for proposals” this summer.
The cleanup can resume now that the U.S. Army has agreed to provide an additional $20 million for removing contamination from the 3,840-acre former military post, about six miles north of Camas. The county plans to use a portion of the site as a regional park.
The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved two financial agreements with the Army that continue to shield the county from financial responsibility for the cleanup.
One will provide federal dollars to locate and remove munitions of explosive concern. The second will cover cleanup of other hazardous materials, primarily lead-contaminated soil.
In 2006, the county approved an initial funding agreement with the Army that provided $28 million for the cleanup. The county sought additional funding when the nature and cost of the cleanup became far more extensive and expensive than initially estimated.
The $20 million will pay for subsurface clearing of Camp Bonneville’s Central Valley and other work. The county will have to seek more funds from the Army to complete the cleanup.
Commissioner Marc Boldt said the county has been steadfast in protecting community interests for years.
“We said the county wouldn’t take on liability and wouldn’t open the park until the site was cleaned,” Boldt said. “That was our position in 2006, and it remains so today.”
The county also will reactivate the Camp Bonneville Citizens Advisory Group, a 13-member panel formed to advise the county on effective ways to share information about the project. The citizens group will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 10 at Fire Station 4, 6701 NE 147th Ave. The meeting is open to the public.
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