History of Camp Bonneville

Camp Bonneville was established in 1909 as a drill field and rifle range for Vancouver Barracks.

Military Use (1909 - 1995)

Camp Bonneville was used primarily as a training camp for multiple branches of the military for 85 years. The U.S. Army closed Camp Bonneville in 1995.

Transfer to Public Land (1995 - 2011)

After the closure by the U.S. Army, Camp Bonneville was selected for transfer and reuse by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. On October 3, 2006, after ten years of dialogue and negotiation with the Army and the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Board of Clark County Commissioners accepted the transfer of property ownership from the Army to the county.

The county then transferred ownership to the Bonneville Conservation Restoration & Renewal Team LLC, an organization that for several years managed a team of contractors with expertise in removing hazardous waste and unexploded ordinance.

In 2011, the county accepted ownership of the property after the Army agreed to provide additional funding for the cleanup.

Clean Up Efforts (2006 - Present)

For more than a decade, Clark County consistently has said Camp Bonneville will not open for public use until the property has been cleaned up. For this reason, Camp Bonneville remains closed. A perimeter fence surrounds the site because of the danger posed by unexploded ordnance after decades of military training. Hundreds of munitions of explosive concern have been located and, in some cases, detonated, but an unknown number remain.

Clark County sought a new contractor and accepted ownership of the 3,840-acre former military post in 2011 after the U.S. Army agreed to provide the funding for the next phase of the cleanup, with the understanding that additional funding will be needed to complete all work at the site.

In June 2012, Weston Solutions resumed the cleanup at Camp Bonneville. One month earlier, Board of County Commissioners approved a $7.6 million agreement with the international company that operates from 60 locations, including Seattle and its headquarters in Pennsylvania.

The ongoing work involves removing munitions of explosive concern and other hazardous materials left over from 85 years of military training. Weston will clear Camp Bonneville’s central valley floor. The Washington State Department of Ecology continues to regulate site cleanup.

Federal funding agreements shield the county from financial responsibility for the cleanup. The county will need additional funding from the Army to complete all work at Camp Bonneville.

The U.S. Army has agreed to provide an additional $7.18 million to clean up 100 acres surrounding former hard targets in the Central Impact Target Area. The target area will be expanded by about 100 acres, and a new access road constructed.