By 1st Lt. Brian S. Villiard
Quantico Sentry
QUANTICO, Va. — Lunga Park will be closed and off-limits from April 2 through June 2.
Since its establishment in 1917, Marine Corps Base Quantico has maintained a robust live-fire training presence. So robust, in fact, many facilities aboard the base sit where a live-fire range was once located.
In 2006 the Quantico Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Branch implemented the Munitions Response Program to address human health, environmental and safety concerns related to military munitions on inactive ranges used before September 2002.
During February 2012 site inspections in the Lunga Park recreation area, teams discovered munitions left over from the 1950s, when the area was used as a weapons range. Clean-up of this area is an important part of personnel safety and environmental stewardship.
All of the munitions have been discovered in remote locations in the recreation area. While there is no immediate threat in the recreation areas or campsites, the base is closing the entire recreation area to reduce any potential risk and to expedite the survey and cleanup actions necessary to re-open the Lunga Park recreation area as safely and quickly as possible quickly as possible.
