Solicitation of Community Interest in Establishing a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for the Former West Virginia Maneuver Area
The former West Virginia Maneuver Area is comprised of 2,180,367 acres of land in and around the Monongahela National Forest. Within the former WVMA, artillery/mortar practice activities were conducted by the U.S. Department of the Army as training for involvement in World War II. Training activities were reported to have been confined to an area of approximately 50,000 acres at most, in the eastern side of the former WVMA about 12 to 15 miles west of Petersburg.
More than 50,000 U.S. troops are estimated to have passed through the region as they trained for service overseas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted an ordnance removal action from 1997-98 in the Dolly Sods Wilderness and Dolly Sods North Areas to reduce the risk to the public. USACE plans to perform a Remedial Investigation in four project areas to identify risks to human health and the environment. If unacceptable risk exists, USACE will perform a Feasibility Study to evaluate remedies. These four areas include the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Bear Rocks/Fore Knobs Area, the Brown/Cabin Mountain Area near Davis, WV and the Dailey Infiltration Camp near Dailey, WV. USACE completed removal actions for unexploded ordnance in 1997 and 1998 for the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area and subsequently followed up with a community survey in 2003 to assess the community interest in a RAB. While the 2003 survey did not provide sufficient interest in establishing a RAB, this notice is intended to reassess community interest in establishing a RAB for the Dolly Sods Wilderness project along with the initial assessment of interest for establishment of a RAB for the other three West Virginia Maneuver Area projects.
As part of the environmental restoration process, the Department of Defense encourages community involvement through RABs. The RAB provides an interactive opportunity for stakeholders to have early involvement in the environmental restoration process.
USACE Louisville District welcomes public feedback regarding interest in establishing a RAB for the former WVMA site. Inquiries should be directed to Shatara Riis, Louisville District Public Affairs Office, (502) 315-6769 by March 23, 2020.
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