Question: Why is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers involved?

Response: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program. In 1986, Congress established the FUDS Program to clean up properties that were owned, leased, possessed or used by the Army, Navy, Air Force or other Defense agencies prior to October 1986.

Question: Who is involved with this site? What is their contact information?

Response: The USACE FUDS project manager is working in coordination with the USACE Pat Mayse Lake Office and Texas Parks and Wildlife for public areas around Pat Mayse Lake.  Regulatory oversight of the project is provided by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  You may reach the USACE FUDS office through the USACE Fort Worth District Public Affairs Office at:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Office of Public Affairs

819 Taylor Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

(817) 886-1096

You may reach the TCEQ at:

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Remediation Division

P.O. Box 13087

Austin, TX 78711-3087

(512) 239-2201

Question: How do I keep involved in what USACE is doing at Former Camp Maxey?

Response: Public involvement is an important part of the FUDS Program. USACE hosts public meetings, distributes news releases, prints public notices in the newspaper, hosts this website, mails fact sheets and other information to interested citizens, and establishes a Restoration Advisory Board when there is interest. To receive mailings, you can request to be added to the Former Camp Maxey project mailing list by calling the USACE Fort Worth District Public Affairs Office at 817-886-1096.  Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. You may also give your daytime and evening phone numbers and email address. (You can be removed from the mailing list at any time by calling 817-886-1096).

To learn more information about this project, USACE has documents related to the Former Camp Maxey available to the public. The information repository for these documents is the Paris Public Library, 326 S. Main Street, Paris, TX 75460. Many of these documents can also be found on this site in the "Document Online Library."

Question: I understand that when USACE studies or cleans up the site, they'll need access to my land. Do I have to be home to let them on my property? What if I don't want them on my property?

Response: USACE and/or its contractors will not enter any individual's property without written consent (called a Right of Entry Agreement). If a property owner signs a Right of Entry agreement, he/she does not have to be home when USACE and/or its contractors perform the work. If a property owner refuses to sign a Right of Entry, USACE will not enter the land. If you sign a Right of Entry and change your mind while USACE is still working in the area, simply inform USACE of your decision.  USACE may require a short period of advance notice to demobilize equipment from the site.  However, if USACE finishes its clean up in the area without your property because of a lack of access, you may become legally responsible for any munitions or chemical contamination on your property.

Question: Does the potential presence of ordnance on my property lower my property value?

Response: Generally, a diminution of property values has not been observed from the potential presence of remaining ordnance.  However, USACE is not authorized to systematically study property values under the FUDS program.  Further concerns should be communicated to the USACE Office of Counsel.  For the Fort Worth District, the Office of Counsel contact information is:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Office of Public Affairs

819 Taylor Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

(817) 886-1144

Question: When will the remediation be finished?

Response: Removal actions for dive Munition Response Sites (MRSs) was initiated in 2019 and are anticipated to be complete by late 2024. Removals in three MRS (WRA-C, WRA-D, and ERA-B) are scheduled to occur in approximately 2025 through 2026.  Four other MRSs remain to be investigated and remediated, including Pat Mayse Lake, itself.  The timing for this investigation work has not yet been determined. The reports hosted here, and maintained at the Paris Public Library describe the current status of each MRS area.  However, even after remediation of highly-used areas is complete, there is a potential for ordnance to remain in natural areas.  Learning and following the “3Rs” is important to protect visitor and resident safety.

Question: What if Pat Mayse Lake recedes during a drought and exposes more land around the lake near the shorelines? Are there plans to go conduct additional removals?

Response: If the Lake recedes during the course of an ongoing removal project, USACE will include the additionally exposed land to the effort.  If no removal project is ongoing at the time, USACE will continue to protect the safety of Lake visitors by promoting the 3Rs.

Question:  What actions do recreational users of the Pat Mayse Lake area need to take to remain safe?

Response:  Following the clean up of frequently used areas within WRA-C, WRA-D, ERA-A, ERA-B, ERA-C, and GRA MRSs, which include the Pat Mayse Wildlife Management Area and Pat Mayse Lake campgrounds, and Pat Mayse Lake public hunting areas, MEC risks are expected to be greatly reduced.  While recreational users utilizing the frequently used areas may enjoy these areas with confidence, USACE encourages all Pat Mayse Lake visitors to become familiar with the 3Rs:  Recognize (be able to recognize potential ordnance), Retreat (leave the area the same way you went in) and Report (call 911 and report the potential ordnance found).  Similarly, homeowners in the MRSs which now comprise residential property should familiarize themselves with the 3Rs.  More information on the 3Rs can be found at www.denix.osd.mil/uxo/

In addition, recreational users and facility workers at Pat Mayse Lake should remember:

1. If you didn’t drop it, don’t pick it up!

2. To the extent possible, stay on established trails or in developed recreational areas.

3. Do not disturb soils by cutting new trails, rutting the ground with equipment, or installing site improvements.

4. Do not engage in magnetic fishing in the Lake or along its shores.

5. Do not engage in metal detecting in any Pat Mayse Lake area managed by USACE or Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Also remember, that while it may be tempting to remove artifacts from the lands of the former Camp Maxey, taking “souvenirs” from the former camp area can be deadly.  All artifacts should be left where found and emergency responders (911) should be contacted to report the find.

Question:  My property is within the former Camp Maxey installation boundary but outside of the established MRS areas.  Do I need to be concerned about potential ordnance on my property?

Response:  The MRSs identified during the RI are the areas considered to potentially contain the highest concentration of unexploded ordnance.  These determinations were made based on historic maps and records of former Camp Maxey operations and the results of field investigations.  However, given that records of activities from the 1940s may be incomplete, it is considered reasonably possible that any property within the historic installation boundary may contain munitions and explosives of concern.  Property owners, tenants, and site workers in these areas should familiarize themselves with the 3Rs.  If a suspected ordnance item is identified, emergency responders (911) should be called to the site for further response.

Question:  My property is outside of an identified MRS and ordnance has been discovered, or, my property is within an MRS but was not investigated and cleaned up previously.  How can I get my property investigated and cleaned up?

Response:  USACE strongly encourages all private landowners with properties within the identified MRSs to allow USACE access to investigate and remediate properties when the project is planned.  If property owners choose not to allow USACE access to the property and then reconsider at a later date, USACE may not be able to schedule investigation and remediation to occur for an extended period in the future.  For properties outside of an identified MRS where ordnance has subsequently been identified or for properties for which an investigation and clean up were previously rejected, USACE will be required to evaluate the potential risk any ordnance might present and then prioritize investigation and clean up of those areas against the other investigation and remediation sites that the USACE has outstanding.  This could mean that a period of years may go by before your property will be addressed.  USACE requests that all concerns be addressed to the FUDS Environmental Section through the USACE Office of Public Affairs:

During the interim, the USACE recommends that property owners familiarize themselves and their visitors and property workers with the 3Rs.    If a property owner has previously rejected investigation and clean up by the USACE on their property, and an incident involving unexploded ordnance occurs, the property owner may be legally liable for the consequences of that event.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Office of Public Affairs

819 Taylor Street

Fort Worth, TX 76102

(817) 886-1096