Cheyenne, WY: Former Fort F.E. Warren Target and Maneuver Area,

Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program

Published April 16, 2015
Fort Francis E. Warren Target and Maneuver Range, Wyoming is located adjacent to the city of Cheyenne.

Fort Francis E. Warren Target and Maneuver Range, Wyoming is located adjacent to the city of Cheyenne.

Location and Description: Fort Francis E. Warren Target and Maneuver Range, Wyoming is located adjacent to the city of Cheyenne. Between 1936 and 1947, the property was part of Fort Francis E. Warren and was used by the Army as an impact area and safety fan for several ranges located south of the FUDS property on the current F.E. Warren Air Force Base. 

After the installation was transferred to the U.S. Air Force in 1947, the USAF built an open burning/open detonation (OB/OD) area in the 1960s. Other facilities constructed within the property included a disposal area at a former storage site and a microwave relay facility. The property reported excess in September 1972, and Department of Defense control of the property was relinquished in 1973 and 1974, although the USAF continued to use the OB/OD area until it was replaced by a new facility within F.E. Warren Air Force Base on or before December 1, 1976. 

Problem and Response: The Fort Francis E. Warren Target and Maneuver Range FUDS property is currently owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Laramie County School District #1 and is used for purposes of agriculture-related (grazing), education and grasslands research. 

Activities for 2015: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract for a Military Munitions Response Program remedial investigation/feasibility study and a Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste site inspection in November 2011. Field work is complete and the contractor is preparing a draft remedial investigation and feasibility study report for review by Omaha District. The documents are scheduled for completion in 2015. 

Proposed Activities for 2016: The proposed plan and decision document, as well as the public comment period, are scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015. 

Issues and Other Information: Due to the location near residential areas and use by the school district, a survey was conducted to determine if there was interest in forming a Restoration Advisory Board. The survey did not indicate enough interest to establish a board for the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS). 

Interest will be solicited during the public comment period for a board for the remedial action phase. Additional sampling activities were required to ensure the investigation was as thorough as possible and were conducted in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 delaying the RI/FS report. This report is in review at this time.