To ensure that Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune units are combat ready, certain areas on the Base are used to train military personnel in the use of munitions. For safety purposes, each munitions training range is associated with a safety buffer area, called a surface danger zone (SDZ). More information about SDZs is provided in Background on SDZs
In 2007, Marine Corps Installations East – MCB Camp Lejeune (MCIEAST - MCB Camp Lejeune) discovered that portions of some SDZs had been located outside the surveyed Base boundary at times dating back to the 1940s. Active range boundaries were adjusted so that the SDZ for each range now lies entirely within the Base boundary. Although there was no indication that a safety risk existed, munitions or munitions-related debris could have previously landed beyond the current boundaries of the Base. Investigations were conducted in 2010 and 2013 and found munitions and munitions-related items just north of the former target area on Browns Island.
The off-Base SDZ area covers of approximately 1,600 acres and is predominantly marshland. Most of this area consists of the SDZ for former Rocket Range Number 1, which has not been used for more than 60 years. The potentially affected area originally included three private properties totaling approximately 301 acres, as well as the southwestern tip of Bear Island (182 acres of Hammocks Beach State Park), State-owned salt marshes that lie between Bear Island and the mainland, State waters used for fishing and recreation (including portions of Bear Creek), and shallow water areas of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Previous investigations indicate an area of 176 acres between Browns and Sanders Island is the primary location where munitions of concern were found. In 2014, warning signs were installed around this area, designated as Site UXO-31, to inform the public of the potential explosive dangers present. Following recommendations of the 2014 Expanded Site Inspection, the current investigations will focus on the reduced 176 acres area.
More information on investigations can be reviewed here.
UPDATE: Upcoming survey near Bear Island
The Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Environmental Management Division will host a public meeting to discuss an upcoming survey near the installation’s southeast boundary. The public meeting will be held on March 26 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Hammocks Beach State Park Auditorium, in Swansboro, N.C.
The meeting will include a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session that will discuss:
- Background information on historic off-base Surface Danger Zones
- Previous survey findings
- Upcoming survey activities
- Proposed field schedule
The upcoming survey will be of an off-base area that may have been affected by past military training. Certified drone pilots will conduct the survey with an unmanned aircraft system (drone) with an attached magnetic sensor to survey the area. They will fly the drone following Federal regulations for safe operations over an area known as “UXO-31,” which is part of a historic off-base area Surface Danger Zone that includes portions of land and waterways near Bear Island, Browns Island, and Sanders Island.
We previously surveyed the area and found military munitions, and we installed warning signs in the area to promote public safety. This survey will use a drone and magnetic sensor to resurvey the area. The survey will take place from April to December 2025, and survey findings will inform any future actions for restoring the site.
Community members are invited to attend the public meeting to learn more about this survey and the U.S. Marine Corps’ support to the U.S. Navy’s Munition Response Program, ensuring the UXO-31 site protects human health, safety, and the environment.
For More Information:
The Administrative Record File (a complete record of documents that were used to make investigation and cleanup decisions) and other information about MCB Camp Lejeune’s Environmental Restoration and Munitions Response Programs are available online at:
https://go.usa.gov/xSdBH
If you have questions, please contact the Communications Strategy and Operations office at mcieastcommstrat@usmc.mil or (910)-526-2303.
