The Navy is reducing the risk of encountering potentially dangerous munitions on Vieques Island. Interim removal actions to reduce those risks are underway.

A Munitions Preliminary Assessment identified 62 potential munitions response sites on east Vieques and one site on west Vieques. In accordance with federal laws and regulations, the final cleanup will be based on the explosive safety risks involved and the plans for future land use. The Comprehensive Conservation Plan, developed by FWS with input from the local community, describes the land use planned for the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.

To protect Vieques residents and visitors, the roads leading to the areas that contain munitions and explosives have been blocked and identified with warning signs. The water that surrounds the former training area is also a danger zone.  For your safety, please stay out of the restricted areas. Do not anchor boats or visit the beaches in the danger zone.

In 2003, Red Beach (Playa Caracas) and Blue Beach (Playa La Chiva) were investigated, cleared of munitions-related debris, and opened to the public.

In 2004, the beaches were temporarily closed, after heavy storms washed some munitions items onto the beach, and were reopened after the items were removed.

In July 2005, the Navy began a Time-Critical Removal Action (TCRA) to remove surface munitions in and around the former Live Impact Area (LIA). The TCRA is rapidly reducing the imminent explosive safety risk to trespassers and allows the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to safely manage natural resources in the wildlife refuge, including the sea turtle nesting areas along the beaches of the LIA. Beginning in 2008, the Navy will remove subsurface munitions from the roads and beaches on east and west Vieques, to further reduce health and safety risks.

The map below shows the restricted area, including the areas of land and surrounding water where munitions from former firing ranges may be present (referred to as range fans), as well as demolition explosive arcs and air monitoring locations. Click here to download this full-size map as a PDF file.

The Navy uses open-air, controlled detonations as the safest way to dispose of large bombs and other dangerous munitions. These detonations occur about twice per month. This procedure is necessary for most of the munitions found on the former range, due to the high explosive safety risk to workers that would be caused by moving unstable munitions and/or the large size of certain munitions.

During the detonations, the Navy performs air monitoring at the LIA and along the boundary between the wildlife refuge and the populated areas of Vieques. (For air monitoring locations, see the larger version of the above map.) To date, nothing has been detected that would be considered harmful or cause adverse effects on human health or the environment.

The regulatory agencies (EPA and EQB), other agencies responsible for emergency response (Coast Guard and Federal Aviation Administration), and the municipality of Vieques are informed every time a detonation is scheduled.

• Removed more than 1,700 munitions items from the old 200-acre open burn/open detonation site on western Vieques
• Removed munitions from the surface of more than 60 acres of beaches on eastern Vieques
• Demilitarized and removed more than 14,700 munitions items, including 3,924 bombs, from the LIA
• Cleared munitions on the surface of more than 630 acres of the LIA
• Recovered more than 3,800 tons of munitions-related scrap metal from the LIA and shipped over 1750 tons of that metal off the island for recycling 
• Trained and employed more than 80 Vieques residents for the munitions cleanup
• Contributed more than $3.0 million to the local economy since the start of the munitions cleanup in July 2005

This yellow shading on this map shows the areas where munitions have been removed from the surface of the ground in the former LIA, as of April 2008.                    

More than 80 Vieques residents have been employed in the munitions cleanup program. The Navy funded 5-week unexploded ordnance (UXO) Technician Level I training for UXO field survey workers and 40-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety training for vegetation clearance workers. The Navy’s MRP contractors provide some of the highest paying jobs on Vieques.

Hiring local residents, instead of bringing workers in from the U.S., has also reduced travel and lodging costs, saving more than $2.1 million per year, which is re-allocated to the munitions cleanup. In addition, these workers are an important source of information for the local community about the cleanup effort.

Most of the munitions-related debris removed from the former LIA is treated at the Central Processing Center (CPC). The material is cut with a shearing device, inert bombs are crushed with a hammer mill, and the materials are heated in a flashing furnace to ensure that no explosive residues remain. Once the scrap metal is certified as safe, it is loaded into trailers and sent off the island for recycling. The first shipment left Vieques in March 2007. Recycling metal is an additional environmental conservation measure.

The old Open Burn/Open Detonation site (SWMU 4) is the only munitions response site on western Vieques. In 2001, Green Beach (Punta Arenas) on western Vieques was investigated, found to be clear of munitions, and opened to the public.

SWMU 4 was used for thermal destruction of unserviceable munitions from about 1965-1980. Field investigations for explosives and ordnance scraps were conducted in 2002-2003, with removal of munitions found on the surface and limited removal of subsurface munitions. Over 200 acres were found to contain munitions or explosives of concern. To protect the public until investigation and cleanup is completed, the much larger buffer area shown on the map below has been fenced off until the munitions response is complete.  

A Draft Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis Report, which evaluates the removal of subsurface MEC from the roads and beaches in the vicinity of SWMU 4, was submitted to the regulators in 2007. The timing for carrying out munitions removal activities at SWMU 4 will be based on a relative risk prioritization of the site, in accordance with the Protocol.