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Site overview
Located North of Hope, Arkansas, the 50,078-acre Southwestern Proving Ground was used by the U.S. Army between 1942 and 1945 to test small arms ammunition, 20 to 155 mm projectiles, mortars, rockets, grenades, and up to 500-pound bombs. The proving ground was closed shortly after World War II and ordnance was cleared from the surface of the land.  The land was then conveyed to state, municipal and private owners. Since the clearance after World War II, munitions and explosives of concern have surfaced.  The ordnance could be explosive and dangerous despite being more than 50 years old. Seven civilian deaths occurred immediatly following the war from two incidents.  However, past reports of around 26 fatalities have not been confirmed.

More than 8,111 ordnance items have been removed from private property to date. In addition, educational displays and programs have been implemented to inform the public of the risk and to encourage appropriate behavior to minimize risk. Because of the proving ground's large area and the widespread occurrence of ordnance, the risk cannot be completely eliminated.  Additional munitions and explosives of concern could be found in the future.

Internet sites of interest

Southwestern Proving Ground Success Story

Current actions
Local volunteers particiate on a Restoration Advisory Board for the investigation and cleanup of property that was once part of Southwestern Proving Grounds.

In addition to the local volunteers, Max Frauenthal of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Noel Bennett of the Environmental Protection Agency Region IV and Clay McDaniel of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will serve on the RAB.

A RAB helps improve public participation by giving the community a voice in the investigation and cleanup of former defense sites. RAB members are community liaisons and will be available to meet with community members and groups and talk about work at the site. Members of the RAB will attend regular meetings that will be open to the public.

Under the Formerly Used Defense Sites Program, the Corps of Engineers has invested more than $6 million since 1994 investigating and cleaning up portions of the former Southwestern Proving Grounds.

Since cleanup of the entire proving ground is estimated to cost in excess of $230 million, cleanup is being done in phases as funding becomes available.Since the project began, much more information has been gathered at the site during the cleanup actions.  The Corps continually reassesses to see if improved technology or techniques could save money and increase efficiency. A supplemental EE/CA was recently completed. The estimated cost-to-complete that the supplemental EE/CA exceeded $50,000,000. This restudy and the resulting recommendations are coordinated with the affected public through the RAB and public meetings. The RAB will be responsible for reviewing the recommendations and providing their input. More information may be obtained from the Administrative Record located at the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archive at Old Washington, AR.

RAB Meeting Notes

Sept 25, 2003

July 2002

December 2001

September 2001

Want to know more about how the RAB operates? Here is a copy of the operating procedures.

Downloadable fact sheets

May 2001 Call for volunteers to serve on RAB

December 2001 Corps forms SWPG RAB

Helpful Web Sites

EE/CA Work Plan   

For more information on institutional controls, visit this EPA site.

What to do if you find unexploded ordnance