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The
former Vieques Naval Training
Range (VNTR) is located on the
eastern half of Vieques Island.
From the early 1950s until 2003,
the VNTR provided ground warfare
and amphibious training for
Marines, naval gunfire support
training, and air to ground
training.
On April 30, 2003, the 14,573
acres of the former VNTR on east
Vieques were transferred to the
U.S. Department of Interior, to
be operated and managed as the
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
in accordance with Public Law
107-107. The law also states
that the former Live Impact Area
will be administered as a
Wilderness Area with no public
access.
The
Munitions
Response
on Vieques Island
page provides information about
munitions and explosives on the
former range. Further
investigations leading to final
remedial actions, for both
munitions and explosives of
concern (MEC) and for the
related environmental
contaminants, will take years to
complete.
The
East
Vieques Tour of IR Sites
presents a brief history and
photos of the environmental
restoration sites that are
currently being investigated. As
agreed with EPA, after the
munitions response actions are
completed, additional
environmental investigations of
soil, sediment, surface water,
and groundwater will be
conducted to assess the
environmental impacts from
munitions sites at the former
Vieques Naval Training Range.
As this map shows, the VNTR was
divided into four operational
areas: the Eastern Maneuver Area
(EMA), which included public
works facilities in Camp Garcia
the Surface Impact Area (SIA)
and the Live Impact Area (LIA),
which together made up the
Atlantic Fleet Warfare Training
Facility (AFWTF); and the
Eastern Conservation Area, at
the far eastern tip of the
island.
Most of east Vieques is still
restricted, due to the human
safety risks from munitions.
Interim removal actions to
reduce those risks are underway
now. The unrestricted areas
(shaded yellow on this map)
include Red Beach (Playa
Caracas) and Blue Beach (Playa
La Chiva) which were
investigated, cleared of
munitions-related debris, and
opened to the public in 2003.
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