U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues initial field work conducted at the Naval Air Station Banana River Off-Base Disposal Area in South Patrick Shores.

(Apr. 23, 2025) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District is completing the test pit phase of field work being conducted at the Naval Air Station Banana River Off-Base Disposal Area Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) in South Patrick Shores as part of the ongoing remedial investigation.

USACE plans to excavate ten test pits by April 25, 2025 at various locations within the Naval Air Station Banana River Off-Base Disposal Area based on an analysis of data from the ground-penetrating radar surveys that were conducted in 2023 and historical aerial imagery. Of the ten planned test pits, seven have been completed, and debris has been encountered in six test pits to date. Debris has largely consisted of glass, ceramic, and unidentifiable metal pieces and appears in two distinct layers.

Soil and groundwater samples from debris-containing test pits will continue to be collected and catalogued, and all data collected will be used to develop a technical memorandum (expected Fall 2025) that will be released to the public after it has been compiled. The results of this investigation will be used to determine the extent and location of further sampling as we move forward. USACE will issue another press release once the current field work is completed.

The Remedial Investigation will characterize the nature and extent of impacts associated with the Navy’s disposal activities during World War II. Records indicate the Navy used the area while the base was active (between 1942 and 1947). As the Navy prepared to deactivate the base, teams from the public works department burned trash and other debris and buried what remained. Following the Navy’s use of the area, historical evidence suggests that the local community also utilized the area as an unpermitted dump site. The approximately 52 acre Off-Base Disposal Area is about a third of a mile south of Patrick Space Force Base and is generally between Ocean Boulevard to the north, Arlington Street to the south, Seagull Drive to the west, and Highway A1A to the east.

FUDS Sites are properties that were under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense and owned by, leased by, or otherwise possessed by the United States (including governmental entities that are the legal predecessors of the Department of Defense or its components) that were transferred from the Department of Defense prior to October 17, 1986. The Defense Environmental Restoration Program-Formerly Used Defense Sites was established to evaluate and, if necessary, to remediate these properties.

For more information, email FUDS.Florida@usace.army.mil, call 800.710.5184, or visit www.saj.usace.army.mil/BananaRiver.