8 March 2023
FORT RILEY (KSNT) – Efforts to remove munitions at Fort Riley started on Tuesday and are expected to continue throughout much of 2023.
Kirk Hutchinson, a Fort Riley spokesman, reports contractors are getting ready to survey an area near the southwest boundary of Fort Riley and along the Republican River as part of continued munitions clean-up work. Crews will work to clear vegetation, which may include burning some areas. Disposal of munitions and explosives of concern from the Camp Forsyth Landfill area munitions response site will follow.
Hutchinson said a munitions response site (MRS) is a specific location known to require munitions removal or other response due to the presence of known or suspected munitions and explosives of concern (MEC). These include unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions or munition components like TNT.
Hutchinson said the Camp Forsyth MRS encompasses 123 acres and is located along the southwestern boundary of Fort Riley and extends into the Republican River, the Republican Flats floodplain and Breakneck Creek. The River Walk Trail, south of Fort Riley’s Trooper Gate along the Republican River, will be closed as needed during this work.
These operations are expected to continue through the spring with the search phase set to begin after that, according to Hutchinson. If crews find MEC, they will either remove them or detonate them in place. The public will be kept away from the search areas as the cleanup takes place. The project has an expected end date in the fall this year.
Fort Riley is a U.S. military base located in the Flint Hills of Kansas. It is home to a population of more than 67,000 1st Infantry Division soldiers, their families and civilian personnel.