PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — The U.S. Navy and federal environmental agencies have agreed to the cleanup and environmental remediation of the former Carr Point shooting range in Rhode Island.
A 163-page “Record of Decision” was made public this week by Naval Station Newport and outlines the removal of contaminated soil from the site and contaminated sediment offshore, the Newport Daily News reported.
The 4-acre site on the shore of Narragansett Bay is currently used by active and retired military as a recreational vehicle campground.
Carr Point was formerly a skeet-shooting range from 1967 to 1973 by Navy personnel and from 1975 to 1989 by the Aquidneck Island Military Rod and Gun Club, according to the report.
Target fragments and lead pellets can be found in the water mainly about 300 feet (90 meters) from the shooting area, but “lead pellet accumulation extends another 600 feet beyond the target area,” according to the report.
Other contaminants include polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The remediation plan calls for the excavation of between 2 to 4 feet (1 meter) of soil that will be capped with fresh soil.
