Across the country, the Department of Defense acquired properties, often during times of war, to use for military training, testing and demonstrations. When no longer needed, many of these properties were cleaned up according to the best practices available at the time and then transferred to other owners such as private individuals or other government entities. These Formerly Used Defense Sites can range from privately owned farms to National Parks. They also include residential, industrial and educational properties. The Department of Defense is committed to protecting people and the environment and improving public safety by cleaning up these sites if hazards from the former military operations remain.

Formerly Used Defense Sites are properties that were under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense and owned by, leased by, or otherwise possessed by the United States (including governmental entities that are the legal predecessors of the Department of Defense or its components) that were transferred from the Department of Defense prior to October 17, 1986.  The Defense Environmental Restoration Program-Formerly Used Defense Sites was established to evaluate and, if necessary, to remediate these properties.  The Army is the lead agency for the Formerly Used Defense Sites program, and the Corps, on behalf of the Army and the Department of Defense, is the executing agent, which is responsible for environmental restoration of all Formerly Used Defense Sites.

Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as Superfund, in 1980 and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act in 1986. These laws give the Corps the authority for certain cleanup activities and dictate the process we must follow. The Corps conducts investigations to determine the potential risk to people and the environment from the military's use of the property. Public involvement and community participation are important components of the process. We partner with stakeholders throughout the process, including congressional representatives, state and local governments, regulatory and environmental agencies, and affected property owners.

The Morgan General Ordnance Depot Site was part of an artillery shell loading plant constructed and operated by the T.A. Gillespie Loading Company as an agent appointed by the United States in December of 1917. By the spring of 1918, construction of the first production unit was completed, and operations commenced on an experimental basis. Production scale loading operations began in June of 1918. The plant was producing several types of ammunition, including 75-millimeter (mm) shells, 155-mm shells, 240-mm trench mortars, 8-inch shells, and 9.2-inch shells. These items were being loaded with various ratios of amatol, a trinitrotoluene (TNT)-based explosive. In addition, 3-inch stokes trench mortars loaded with nitro starch powder were produced at the plant. By September 30, 1918, seven of 13 proposed production lines were operational. However, on October 4, 1918, a series of severe explosions occurred at the facility which destroyed several production lines and completely halted operations. The plant, which was a major supplier to the war effort, was intended to be rebuilt. A salvage contractor was hired, and clean-up efforts were initiated almost immediately. The area of the plant was almost ready for reconstruction when the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. Beginning in 1919, shortly after the Armistice, much of the area of the plant was utilized by the Morgan General Ordnance Depot. The facility remained in government hands until 1924, when approximately 1530 acres were conveyed, in fee, to J.I Eisner and S. Alpert. Later that same year Alpert & Eisner conveyed the same parcel to Morgan Development, a subsidiary of the grantor. The site then became an ordnance storage depot for munitions from US Government agencies & for munitions intended for foreign Governments. Morgan shipped these munitions through the South Amboy Docks. Beginning in the late 1940's & ending in the early 1950's Morgan sold off the land to developers and municipalities.

Evidence from previous investigations and removal actions suggest that Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC), Munition Debris (MD), and Munition Constituents (MC) may be present at the Morgan General Ordnance Depot, Munition Response Site (MRS), due to accidental explosions and fires that occurred at the site over three days in 1918, resulting in almost complete destruction of the depot. During previous investigations and removal actions, teams have uncovered a significant amount of Discarded Military Munitions (DMM) and MD; however, the extent of MEC throughout MRS has not been fully defined. No MC sampling has been conducted at the site but given the volume of explosives and munitions destroyed at the site, there is a potential for MC releases that are still present at the site over 100 years later. In addition, significant development at the site may have resulted in movement of MEC and/or MC contamination.

This project falls under the Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) of the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP). The Department of Defense (DoD) established the MMRP to address MEC and MC in high enough concentrations to pose an explosive threat that are located on certain properties, including FUDS. Under the DERP, the U.S. Army is the DoD’s lead Agency for FUDS, and USACE executes FUDS for the Army.