The former Navy installation on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico covers about 23,000 acres where the military conducted weapons training from the mid-1940s until 2003. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2005 after contamination from unexploded ordnance (UXO) and hazardous substances was found across land and underwater areas. Cleanup work is split between two Navy programs: the Munitions Response Program for ordnance-related work and the Environmental Restoration Program for chemical contamination. The site is divided into 32 operable units covering beaches, roads, former military structures, and underwater zones.
Contaminants of concern include unexploded ordnance spread across multiple land and underwater areas. Groundwater in the West Area of Concern E contains benzene, xylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, MTBE, naphthalene, and 2-methylnaphthalene. Perchlorate has been found in groundwater at the West Solid Waste Management Unit 4. Other hazardous substances that may be present include mercury, lead, copper, magnesium, lithium, TNT, napalm, depleted uranium, PCBs, solvents, and pesticides, though these have not been fully characterized. There is currently insufficient information to determine whether human exposure or groundwater migration is under control.
The Navy and EPA have issued Records of Decision for several operable units. The Navy has cleared 75 acres in the former Live Impact Area since 2016 using controlled burning to expose submunitions, with air monitoring confirming no effect on nearby residential areas. Underwater investigations cover about 11,500 acres, and remedial action in those areas is expected in 2025. Some areas, including the Camp Garcia landfill and the Eastern Conservation Area, have completed remedial action and moved into operation and maintenance. Other units, including beaches and roads, remain in removal or investigation stages. Many ordnance-related operable units are still in feasibility study phases, with completion estimated between 2026 and 2028. A PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) investigation unit was started in May 2025. The most recent five-year review was completed in 2023. The Navy notes two slightly different completion dates for that review: the cleanup section states December 2023, while the cleanup progress section states September 2023. The Navy has spent roughly 400 million dollars on Vieques work so far, with about 90 million dollars going directly to the local economy.
Community members can get involved through the Vieques Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), formed in 2004. The RAB includes local residents and representatives from the Navy, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Meetings are held quarterly in both Spanish and English and are open to the public. Site documents are available at the Vieques Public Library in Isabel Segunda, the public library in La Esperanza, and the EPA's Guaynabo office. The Navy also maintains an online information repository at navfac.navy.mil/vieques.
