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Erie Army Depot

The former Erie Army Depot is a formerly used defense site located in Carroll Township, Ottawa County, Ohio.

The former Erie Army Depot (EAD) was an artillery and air-defense artillery proving ground facility from 1918 to 1965. Plans for closure of EAD began in 1965 with final base closure in 1967. In 1967, the property ownership was transferred to the Community Improvement Corporation of Ottawa County and has since been subdivided and transferred to several private parties. The former EAD lake impact area that is adjacent to EAD is an active munitions impact area in Lake Erie used by the National Guard facility and private industry.

Congress established the Defense Environmental Restoration Program/Formerly Used Defense Site (DERP/FUDS) program to clean up properties that were under the jurisdiction of the Secretary and owned, leased, or possessed by the United States and transferred from Department of Defense (DoD) control prior to Oct. 17, 1986. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages the FUDS program.
 

Major Milestones/Accomplishments

  • The Corps completed an ordnance migration study in 2004 to better the understanding of potential ordnance migration patterns in the lake impact area.
     
  • The Corps has completed three removal actions to clear ordnance items from shoreline areas at the former Erie Army Depot (EAD). These actions resulted in more than 8,000 non-explosive ordnance items and more than 1,400 potentially explosive items which were rendered safe and disposed off site by Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams.
     
  • The Corps has conducted numerous public information workshops and educational efforts to ensure public awareness and procedures should ordnance items be found.
  • The Corps is executed an ordnance removal action on shoreline areas funded through the Office of Economic Adjustment outside of the FUDS Program. This work took place in 2009-2010.
     
  • The Corps continues public education efforts regarding safety procedures if potential ordnance items are found.
     
  • The Corps continues to investigate the history of site ownership and operations by DoD and non-DoD parties. The purpose of the investigation is to establish a full understanding of all potential sources of ordnance fired into Lake Erie and on the former EAD site.
     
  • The Corps is initiating an investigation of the nearby Locust Point Firing Area to determine the history of DoD operations, historical land use, and any potential impacts to this site.

Residents are reminded on “the three Rs” of unexploded ordnance safety: recognize, retreat and report. In the unlikely event they recognize any type of old suspected military-related metal objects, they should never touch or attempt to move the item but should note its locations, safely retreat from the area and report it to local law enforcement or call 911.

3Rs of Explosives Safety Information

Throughout history, the United States’ ability to maintain a well-trained military force has required the use of military munitions in live-fire training and testing. This use may have resulted in the presence of unexploded ordnance, also known as UXO, and munitions debris in areas currently or formerly used for military training purposes. Military munitions, especially UXO, should be considered extremely hazardous because if touched, moved or disturbed they may explode causing death, serious injury or damage.

To protect yourself, your family, your friends and your community, it is important to follow the 3Rs of Explosives Safety should you know or suspect you have come across a military munition:

Click to view the Unexploded Ordnance Safety page of the DENIX Web site Recognize – when you may have come across a munition, and that munitions are dangerous.
Retreat – do not approach, touch, move, or disturb a suspect munition, but carefully leave the area.
Report – immediately what you saw and where you saw it to local law enforcement – call 911.

Important Safety Considerations

In addition to following the 3Rs of Explosives Safety, it is also important to keep the following in mind:

  • Munitions are not souvenirs or keepsakes. Even if a munition has been in your or a loved one’s possession for many years, it may pose an explosive hazard. Call 911 to request assistance. Even if handled repeatedly in the past, do not move or disturb it.
  • Take note of the area where you suspect you came across a munition after moving carefully away from it so that emergency responders know where to look for the item.
  • On public lands or at sea, avoid areas where munitions may be encountered and follow any posted warnings.
  • Do not use cell phones or other electronic devices near a suspect munition.

3Rs of Explosives Safety Information and Additional Resources

Additional information about the 3Rs of Explosives Safety is available from the Department of Defense’s 3Rs of Explosives Safety website.

The website provides information about military munitions including UXO. It also contains downloadable materials such as fact sheets, safety guides and coloring books that you can share with your children, family members, friends, tenants, employees and others who should know about explosives safety.

Photos

Contact Information

Public Affairs

    (502) 315-6769
   charles.w.delano@usace.army.mil