Camp Bonneville is a 3,840 acre property located in the foothills of the Cascade Range, about seven miles north of the Columbia River. It was established in 1909 as a military training camp, and was used by various branches of the military for 85 years. The property is not open to the public.
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1909: Military use begins.
1926: Camp Bonneville is named.
1942: Used as a prison camp for Italian prisoners of war.
1995: The U.S. Army closes the facility. Transfer and reuse is selected by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
2006: The Board of Clark County Commissioners votes to accept the transfer of the property’s ownership to the county.
2011: Transfer is completed. Cleanup begins.
Today (2024): Cleanup activities are complete. A review of the cleanup is underway to determine if additional cleanup activities are needed, and what the ongoing maintenance is required. Once the Washington State Department of Ecology completes this process, the site can be considered for use and a master plan can be completed.
The cleanup’s scope of work is defined by the Camp Bonneville Reuse Plan, which also defined potential future uses and use areas (Microsoft Word - CampBonnevilleReuseFinal update 3-19-06.doc (wa.gov)). The reuse plan shaped the Prospective Purchaser Consent Decree (file link) which outlines the deliverables for the cleanup actions.
The project was broken into three cleanup areas, called remedial action units (RAU). Each RAU may have subareas. For more information on the cleanup project, please visit the Department of Ecology.
Camp Bonneville Advisory Group (CAG)
The group was established to conduct an examination of the cleanup objectives and identify additional cleanup or support the conclusion that no further action is required for specific projects within the scope of work of the Sitewide Cleanup Action Plan. The culmination of this advisory process will be a comprehensive report delivered to the Clark County Council, designed to inform and guide the council’s decisions regarding environmental restoration and public safeguards.
Members:
- Allen Thomas
- Ann Shaw
- Gregory Shaw
- Michael Conway
- Mary Lennox
- Stephen Jones