In 2023, The Off-Base SDZ Site was entered into the Munitions Response Program and a second Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection (PA/SI) Report was completed for Site UXO-31. Based on the investigations and recommendations of the 2014 Expanded Site Inspection, the Site UXO-31 Munitions Response Area was reduced to 176 acres, from an approximately 1,600 acres. The 2023 PA/SI report recommended an investigation to evaluate UXO presence at Site UXO-31 to confirm the current site boundary is protective.
Planned Activities in 2025
- Public meeting to be held on March 26 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Hammocks Beach State Park Auditorium, in Swansboro, N.C.
- Summer 2025: A survey near the installation’s southeast boundary 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.
- Winter 2025: Field activities to remove any surveyed military munitions.
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
Above figure: Example of drone and survey area
This area is incorporated into the Brown’s Island Policy. The Brown’s Island Policy is available here.