SOUTH PATRICK SHORES, Fla. — Ever since finding a World War II-era mortar in her backyard last October, Sandra Sullivan knew it was hiding a few more secrets.
- Some residents have found military items buried in their yards
- Area was once land used by Naval Air Station Banana River
- Army Corps of Engineers determined it qualified for FUDS program
- READ DOCUMENTS:
- Defense Environmental Restoration Program for FUDS Sites — Findings and Determination of Eligibility (PDF)
- Naval Air Station Banana River Off-Base Disposal Area Eligibility Signed (PDF)
- FUDS Naval Air Station Banana River Disposal Area FAQ (PDF)
- FUDS Naval Air Station Banana River Defense Environmental Restoration Program FAQ (PDF)
Patrick Air Force Base personnel came to Sullivan's home within hours to remove the ordnance. Since then, she's dug up other military items, from pieces of a plane to shell casings or ammunition.
She moved to the South Patrick Shores area in 2009 and didn't realize there was debris buried more than six feet under.
Now, residents in the area are feeling vindicated after the military designated a 32-acre parcel of land a "Formerly Used Defense Site," making it eligible for a program that will get the federal government to provide environmental restoration and cleanup.
Sullivan's house is within the area.
"The (Army) Corps of Engineers has given the area the designation of FUDS, which means 'Formerly Used Defense Site,' so it's an acknowledgment after more than 30 years that this was a military disposal site which, of course, all the locals knew," she said.
According to Army Corps of Engineers, recently located historical records indicate that although the U.S. Navy did not own the property, though they did "otherwise possess it." When the Navy prepared to close the Naval Air Station Banana River, it left buried debris behind, but no record as to what.
Sullivan says because of U.S. Rep. Bill Posey's determination, the site was reevaluated and classified a "Formerly Used Defense Site," officially signed August 24, 2019.
“I don't know for sure how long they've been aware of the problem before we started talking to them," Posey said. "It allows them to get funding for study and remediation, and that means whatever it takes."
The process for FUDS cleanup will be lengthy; a preliminary assessment will need to be prepared, starting in October, and that report is anticipated to be finalized in early 2020.
"Brevard has had an interest in this for many years, and this is one of the cases where persistence just pays off," Posey said. "They will determine the extent of hazard that exists there, and it's clear there is something there, there's no doubt about that."
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the site previously was not eligible for the FUDS program because it was privately owned. But in 2018, the Corps reevaluated the site and determined that the Navy used the area for disposal activities.