Gould Island is a small, overgrown, uninhabited island located between the larger islands that make up Jamestown approximately 0.75 miles to the west and Newport/Middletown approximately 1.5 miles to the east. 

Gould Island was acquired by the United States between 1918 and 1920 for use by the U.S. Navy as a torpedo guidance and launch technique testing facility. Operations at the island ramped up in the 1940’s and Gould served as the U.S. Navy’s primary torpedo testing facility during World War II. After the war (in the 1950’s), testing and production of torpedoes was outsourced and operations were significantly curtailed.  In 1975 and 1989, parcels located in the central and southern portions of the island, a total 39.15-acres, were transferred to the state of Rhode Island. The U.S. Navy maintained ownership of the 16.9-acre northern tip of the island and the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard also own several small parcels within the boundaries of the State-owned land. 

The Gould Island Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) Project #D01RI033800 encompasses the 39.15-acre parcel of state-owned land (not including Navy and Coast Guard parcels) eligible for environmental evaluation under the FUDS program. The FUDS Project area is currently owned by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) Division of Fish & Wildlife and is designated a bird sanctuary.

USACE conducted Remedial Investigation Activities at the FUDS Property from 2018 through 2022 to determine the nature and extent of chemicals of potential concern (COPCs) for human health and contaminants of potential ecological concern (COPECs) for ecological receptors. The data collected during these investigations is being evaluated in a Remedial Investigation, Human Heath and Ecological Risk Assessment Report.

After the Remedial Investigation, Human Heath and Ecological Risk Assessment Report is finalized, USACE will identify areas of the FUDS project that pose a risk to human health and/or the environment and proceed to the Feasibility Study phase where different alternatives to address the unacceptable risk are evaluated. After this evaluation process is completed and the Feasibility Study Report is finalized, USCAE will propose a remedial alternative to reduce potential human health or environmental risks associated with past DoD activities in a Proposed Plan. USACE will hold a public comment period during which public questions or comments on the Proposed Remedial Plan may be submitted prior to the final remedy selection. After the public has had an opportunity to review and comment on this Proposed Plan and attend the public meeting, USACE will compile and respond to all comments received during the comment period and hearing in a document known as the Responsiveness Summary. The final selected actions for the project will be documented in a Record of Decision

The Gould Island FUDS site has an active Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) which meets biannually in June and October each year to discuss the progress of the project, and to solicit input from the public on the ongoing site activities.