oEPA Ancient Landscapes, Community History: Restoring and Celebrating a National Treasure
www.epa.gov
THE LONGHORN ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT SUPERFUND SITE IN KARNACK, TEXAS
Introduction
Established in December 1941 to produce TNT for World
War II, the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant facility was
a major employer in East Texas. Over time, the facility
produced a variety of munitions, including incendiary
devices and Pershing rocket motors. As unused buffer land
surrounding the facility reverted from its former agricultural
use to forest, it provided habitat for hundreds of species of
wildlife. Today, the site has been transformed into a valuable
wildlife refuge. This case study tells the remarkable story
of the continuing cleanup and reuse of the Longhorn Army
Ammunition Plant Superfund site.
Following the discovery of contamination at the site and the
facility's closure, the community set to work planning for
the site's reuse. Tenacious and enterprising organizations
including the Caddo Lake Institute (CLI) and Greater Caddo
Lake Association of Texas worked tirelessly to engage
federal agencies and the community to conserve habitat areas
at the site. Thanks to their work and collaboration with the
U.S. Army, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), EPA,
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ),
and other organizations, the site has become a unique part of
the country's National Wildlife Refuge System.
Today, refuge visitors enjoy hiking and birdwatching.
Forest, wetland and aquatic habitats support hundreds of
species of wildlife, including alligators, wood ducks and
paddlefish. Internationally recognized wetlands include
pristine mature flooded bald cypress forest, one of the
best-preserved such ecosystems in the United States. "This
extraordinary example of ecological reuse illustrates the
opportunities that Superfund site cleanup and revitalization
present for communities," said EPA Region 6 Superfund
Redevelopment Coordinator Casey Luckett Snyder.
This case study explores the tools and partnerships that
have led to successful cleanup and transformation at the
Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant site. The following
pages trace the evolution of cleanup and reuse efforts,
highlighting community leadership, project partnerships,
and coordination of remedy and reuse considerations.
The case study provides information and lessons learned
for parties interested in Superfund site reuse, habitat
conservation, and the adaptation of fonner federal facility
and military sites for public use.
Caddo Lake
Wildlife ManiTgernent
Area
I
Karnack, Texas
Uncertain.
Wri I
Caddo Lake
Caddo Lake
State Park
Caddo
Lake
Louis
=Marsna —
Shrev.eport
Sources: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Esri, DeLorme,
AND, Tele Atlas, First American, UNEP-WCMC and USCS.
O
NORTH
10
20
iMiles
The site is located on the shore of Caddo Lake in East Texas, near
the Louisiana border.
The refuge includes some of the country's most pristine old-growth
hardwood forest.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiative
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Site History, Contamination and Remediation
At the outset of World War II, the Army moved quickly to expand the production of munitions to support the war effort.
As part of these efforts, the Army acquired the site property and established the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant
(LHAAP) in December 1941. Less than a year later, the manufacturing facility was in place and had made its first batch
of trinitrotoluene (TNT). The facility operated for almost six decades, manufacturing munitions ranging from incendiary
devices to rocket motors. At its peak, the facility included 451 buildings, operated its own power and water treatment
plants, and moved raw materials and finished product around on site using an extensive rail network.
Facility operations and chemical releases resulted in the contamination of soil and groundwater with volatile organic
compounds, perchlorate, metals and explosives. EPA listed the site on the Superfund program's National Priorities List
(NPL) in August 1990. The Army, EPA and the Texas Water Commission (now TCEQ) entered into a Federal Facility
Agreement (FFA) to guide site investigations and cleanup in December 1991. The FFA became effective in December
1991. In 1997, the U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command placed LHAAP on inactive status and
classified it as excess property.
The project team developed cleanup plans for 15 separate
site areas. The bullets below highlight several of these
areas, illustrating the range of site remedies.
•	LHAAP-001-R (South Test Area/Bomb Test Area) and
LHAAP-003-R (Ground Signal Test Area): land use
controls and groundwater monitoring.
•	LHAAP-12 (Landfill): capping and groundwater
monitoring.
•	LHAAP-16 (Landfill): landfill cap maintenance, in-
situ bioremediation. monitored natural attenuation
and land use controls.
•	LHAAP-17 (Burning Ground No. 2/FlashingArea,
Group 2): soil removal] groundwater extraction and
treatment, monitored natural attenuation, and land
use controls.
As cleanups finish, the Army transfers ownership of the
areas to FWS. The most recent transfer - of the Landfill
12 Area Parcel - took place in March 2014. To date,
about 7,000 acres of the 8,416-acre installation have been
transferred to FWS for management as the Caddo Lake
National Wildlife Refuge.
The Army is currently conducting soil and groundwater
cleanup activities for several remaining areas. All
operations, including the restoration program, are carried
out by the Army's Base Alignment and Closure Division.
The Army Environmental Command funds environmental
restoration activities at the site.
In 1988, plant employees destroyed Pershing missiles in the
presence of Soviet inspectors in accordance with the intermediate-
Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
«
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Project History
1980s - 1995
Setting the Stage
Long before the Army moved to close LHAAP, the site's
unique setting and natural resources as well as the community's
developing environmental stewardship ethic had set the stage
for future use. Located on the western shore of the stunning
and biodiverse 40-square-mile Caddo Lake and within the
Central Flyway, a vital bird migration corridor, LHAAP
provides important wildlife management opportunities.
Undeveloped buffer areas surrounding the facility include
some of the most pristine old-growth bottomland hardwood
forest in the United States. Large forested upland areas of the
facility, white managed for timber production by the Army, had
historically supported a biodiverse Piney Woods ecosystem,
consisting of shortleaf pine and hardwoods, including oaks,
hickory and other fire-tolerant species. As early as the 1980s,
FWS staff were aware of the property's unique value and
potential. "I had my eye on the site very early, in case there
might be an opportunity to secure it in the future," said Jim
Neal, former FWS staff member and CLI consultant. "It was a
great opportunity for land preservation."
Building Local Capacities
Community efforts to preserve the natural heritage around
Caddo Lake began early, and local advocacy organizations
built their capacities over time. In 1978, the Greater Caddo
Lake Association formed to work on water flow and water
quality issues at the lake. In 1992, Eagles musician DonHenley
formed CLI to oppose development of the "Daingerfield
Reach," a barge canal proposed for Caddo Lake. Both
organizations worked to preserve the Caddo Lake ecosystem.
CERCLA
The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) is the law
passed by Congress on December 11,1980, that is commonly
known as Superfund.
including an effort in the 1990s to oppose changes to the water
permit held by the nearby city of Marshall. These early efforts
built capacity within the organizations and also energized and
inspired community members to build on those successes.
Since its inception, CLI has been a driving force in land
preservation at LHAAP. When it learned that the potential
existed for the property to be sold for use as a prison or industrial
facility, CLI got to work. Recognizing the facility's unique
ecological value and international significance, cofounders
Don Henley and Dwight She 11 man took an entrepreneurial
approach to preserving the land. They lured an engineer and
scientist to study and map the contamination and determined
that much of the land on the facility was relatively clean and
suitable for use. Henley, a well-known musician, worked
hard to open doors at the state and federal levels, building the
political capital needed for the work to come.
Starting the Reuse Dialogue
In the early 1990s, the Army put the facility on a list of
installations slated for closure. Many people in Marshall were
concerned that whatever came next at the site should provide
jobs, and many community meetings were held to consider
potential future uses. "After a major employer like an Army
base closes down, tilings won't continue to be the way they
were before," said Mark Williams, former FWS staff member
and Friends of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
member. Ecotourism emerged as an opportunity for the next
stage of economic development in the area.
The Army began looking for partners to accept the property, and
approached FWS about the site's potential as a conservation
area. The site's pristine bottomland hardwoods and upland
habitats fit well with surrounding conservation areas. The Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department had purchased all of the land
EskSmms
Caddo Lake's wetlands provide high-quality habitat for many species of
wildlife.
"By facilitating conversations about reuse
early in the cleanup process, EPA can support
the design of cleanups that support future
community needs"
- Richard Mayer, EPA Project Manager
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for establishment of the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management
Area to the north of the site by 1992. Nearby Caddo Lake State
Park dates back to the 1930s.
FWS was initially reluctant to take on the site due to concerns
about the Superfund cleanup. The site is also part of an
FWS region that includes primarily arid western landscapes.
Building awareness of the habitat's value took time. A cleanup
for ecological reuse also caused concerns for the Army, as
cleanup for industrial reuse might be less expensive. Dwight
Shell mail and CLI persistently advocated for the project,
traveling to Washington, D.C. and meeting with various federal
agencies to build support.
To raise the profile of the area and build support for conservation
CLI pushed to have Caddo Lake's wetlands designated
under the Ramsar Convention 011 Wetlands of International
Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. Since 1971, over
150 countries have signed the treaty and 2,226 sites have been
designated worldwide. In 1993, the 20,000 acres of Caddo
Lake wetlands, including part of the Caddo Lake Wildlife
Management Area and part of LHAAP became the 13th site
in the United States to receive the designation. CLI could use
the designation to build the community and political support
necessary to preserve more of Caddo Lake's resources.

Dwight Shellman, Gaddo Lake Conservationist
CLI co-founder Dwight Shellman is remembered by many
in the community as a key contributor to the establishment
of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. After founding
CLI with Don Henley in 1992, he was the organization's
president for many years. Robust community engagement
and education was a key component of the efforts he led to
preserve the land at LHAAP. "Dwight was a great believer
in citizen science and teaching people," said Greater Caddo
Lake Association member Jack Canson. "We had so many
community meetings that you'd think people would get sick
of it, but they didn't - he was so democratic and such a good
teacher." Mr. Shellman passed away in 2012.
Image used with permission of CLI.
NORTH
(T) Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
(2)	Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area
(3)	Caddo Lake State Park
(4)	Uncertain
Sources: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas
Parks and Wildlife. Esri, DeLorme, AND. Tele
Atlas, First American, UNEP-WCMC and USGS.
0 0.75 1.5	3
I Miles
The Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge includes 7,000 acres of hardwood bottomland and lakefront.

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Federal Facilities: A Closer Look
In addition to military installations, federal facilities
include former nuclear production plants, abandoned mines
and landfills. Common types of contamination include
radioactive waste, munitions and unexploded ordnance,
mining waste, fuels and solvents. There are 174 federal
facilities on the NPL. EPA is responsible for overseeing their
cleanup under the Superfund law (CERCLA Section 120).
At Department of Defense sites such as LHAAP, EPA's
responsibilities include efforts to support community
involvement, facilitate property transfer, implement
remedies as soon as practicable, and maintain remedies that
protect human health and the enviromnent.
Timeline of Events
1942
LHAAP established to produce munitions for
World War II
1984
Army identified contamination at the site
1988
Pershing missile destruction
1990
LHAAP added to the NPL
1991
Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) between State
of Texas, EPA and the Army
LHAAP manufacturing facility closed
1992
CLI formed
1993
Area wetlands designated Ramsar Wetlands of
International Importance
1996
CLI leases 1,300 acres from the Army
1997
Army declares LHAAP in excess of needs
1998
FWS expresses interest in receiving lands to
establish the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1999
Additional land and buildings leased by CLI
1999-
2000
Tri-party memorandums of agreement (MOAs)
between CLI, FWS and the Army
2000
First technical assistance grant
2000
MOA between Army and FWS establishes Caddo
Lake National Wildlife Refuge
2003
Administrative control of LHAPP transferred to
BRAAC
2004
MOA between Army and USFWS establishes the
transfer process for LHAAP lands
2009
Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge opens to the
public
2014
Transfer of Landfill 12 Area Parcel
2017
Visitors continue to enjoy nature and recreation
areas at Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge
1996-2009
Putting the Pieces in Place
As political and community interest in conservation increased,
CLI, FWS and the Army started work on the legal framework
necessary to preserve the land. In 1996, CLI leased over 1,300
acres of bottomland hardwoods at the site from the Army. The
lease, which allowed CLI to engage in a variety of education,
research and conservation activities, would give the Institute
the opportunity to explore the site's potential as a national
wildlife refuge. The pilot effort was a success. In 1998, FWS
expressed interest in receiving the lands for the establishment
of a refuge.
Over the next several years, CLI, FWS and the Army worked on
a series of agreements to establish the refuge and define roles.
Throughout the negotiations, EPA supported and facilitated
discussions, working with all parties involved and gathering
community input. Under three-party agreements in 1999 and
2000, the Army, FWS and CLI established interim roles and
responsibilities. "Our role has shifted over time from trying to
spur interest in reuse to working with federal agencies to make
it happen," said CLI legal counsel Rick Lowerre.
A 2000 Memorandum of Agreement between the Army
and FWS designated an area of over 7,000 acres for the
establishment of an overlay refuge. Under the agreement,
the Army retained ownership and control of the land, while
FWS undertook wildlife and habitat management activities. In
2002, the Army transferred LHAAP to its Base Realigmnent
and Closure Office for management as an excess property.
An Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan published
that year outlined custodial and forest stewardship for the site
during the transition process.
A 2004 MOA between the Army and FWS laid out the process
for transfer of the land. With EPA approval, the Army would
complete discrete areas of cleanup and then turn them over
to FWS control. Cleaning up parts of the site piece by piece
addressed contamination concerns and enabled the areas to
be returned to use while cleanup continued in other areas.
The process began with the transfer of about 5,000 acres
immediately as part of the 2004 agreement; to date, about
7,000 acres in total have been transferred. These land transfers
include a portion of the water rights associated with the land,
which is important for preserving the lake ecosystem. The
"Having community voices in discussions
about site reuse is vital, particularly when the
site will be put in the public trust."
- April Palmie, TCEQ Project Manager
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same year, CLI subleased the 1,300 acres and buildings it
had leased from the Army to FWS. In exchange, CLI retained
rights to use half an office building, which they have provided
free of charge to other partner nonprofits. Co-locating these
organizations strengthened their collective efforts.
Resisting Development Pressures
The 2004 MOA left some uncertainty about the transfer of
all installation lands to the FWS. The agreement included
a provision that lands unsuitable for the refuge could be
transferred to a third party. In 2005, several business interests
initiated an effort to secure the remaining 2,600 acres for
industrial development. As millions of gallons of water rights
were tied to the acreage, interest in acquiring the land was high
despite feasibility issues and concern over potential industrial
impacts on the refuge.
Community organizations remained focused on ensuring the
refuge's long-term sustainability. Outreach by CLI, the Greater
Caddo Lake Association of Texas and other groups included
community meetings, a letter-writing campaign and contacting
elected officials. Organizations worked to educate the public
on the limitations of the site's infrastructure, constraints of the
Superfund cleanup, and the availability of vacant industrial
park space nearby. Community members showed up in droves
at public meetings. Given the scale of the community response,
industrial development proposals did not move forward.
Developing a Community Resource
Following the establishment of the refuge, FWS focused
on infrastructure, visitor amenities and habitat restoration.
The Army had managed upland forest portions of the site
for industrial timber production for many years, and the area
had been primarily planted with a single variety of pine tree.
"When the land was transferred, the forest was in pretty good
shape," said Mark Williams. To restore the historical Piney
Woods ecosystem, which includes shortleaf pine and fire-
tolerant hardwood species such as oak and hickory, FWS
lias employed forest management strategies such as selective
cutting and prescribed fires. This management approach helps
/Is ecological reuse proceeded at the refuge, the Army continued to
clean up other site areas still under Its control.
Volunteers and paid staff have improved infrastructure, habitat and
visitor amenities at the refuge. Image courtesy of FWS.
Superfund and National Wildlife Refuge Reuse
Ecological reuse at Superfund sites restores contaminated
lands to productive use in areas where industrial, commercial
or residential redevelopment may not be suitable or feasible.
These lands provide valuable wildlife and pollinator habitat
and recreational resources. EPA, the U.S. Department of
Defense and FWS have worked together on national wildlife
refuge establishment at military site Superfund cleanups
across the country, including the Rocky Mountain Arsenal
and Rocky Flats national wildlife refuges in Colorado,
the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Illinois, the
Assebet River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts,
and the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in New
Hampshire.
¦ai wtn.ni	a*—janr
Bison graze at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
near Denver.
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Most buildings at LHAAP have been demolished. A guardhouse (left, prior to restoration), now part of the refuge visitors center, and the ruins of an old
production facility (right) remain. Images from Jack Canson.
create a forest with diverse tree and plant species and a range
of age classes, which is vital to forest health.
FWS' work on visitor resources included building trails and
creating a visitor center. The Friends of Caddo Lake National
Wildlife Refuge, a volunteer organization formed to assist
FWS with its mission at the refuge, undertook projects to build
kiosks, birding blinds and other amenities. "Our goal is to
create a place for the public with activities and assets that build
stewardship and an appreciation for the natural system that's
there - an understanding of its uniqueness and sensitivity," said
organization President Gary Endsley. "Volunteers are key to
that work - what we want is an army of stewards, and then we
can get on to making the world a better place."
Community groups collaborated to preserve a guardhouse
dating to 1942 that the Army was preparing to abandon. CLI,
FWS, the city of Marshall, the Marshall Convention and
Visitors Bureau, the city of Uncertain, and private individuals
contributed funds to move the structure to the visitors center
complex and preserve it. Using old photos of the guardhouse
kept by the son of a former Army staff member, they restored
the building to its original condition, with energy-efficiency
improvements. "Our collaboration to make this happen
was a great gesture to show that we have all moved past the
conflicts we had in the early days," said Greater Caddo Lake
Association member Jack Canson. "We worked together to
create a valuable tourism asset." The guardhouse has been
transformed into the Dwight K. Shellman Jr. Ramsar Wetlands
Visitor Center, which features educational displays about the
Caddo Lake wetlands and the history of the site.
In September 2009, hundreds of people celebrated the opening
of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The ceremony
included elected representatives, members of the Caddo
Nation of Oklahoma, the tribe that originally inhabited the
area, representatives from local, state and federal agencies, and
members of the local advocacy organizations that had worked
so hard to make it all happen. The event was a celebration of
the community's remarkable conservation efforts and marked
an important milestone on the way to move forward to the next
chapter at the site.
"The impetus for this refuge was a local
movement that garnered the attention of
agencies involved. Thanks to the community,
this is a great story of preservation."
- Stephen Tzhone, EPA Project Manager
At the 2009 opening ceremony, CLI co-founder Don Henley (top) spoke
to a crowd of hundreds (middle), including a local boy scout troop
(bottom). Images from Jack Canson (top) and Dawn Orsak (middle and
bottom) used with permission of CLI.

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2010 - Present
Building for the Future
Since the refuge opened to the public, stakeholders have
focused on ensuring its long-term sustainability by nurturing
partnerships, developing refuge resources, and undertaking
long-range planning. Since 2004, the Army has transferred
a total of about 7,000 acres of the former LHAAP facility to
FWS; the most recent transfer took place in 2014. As new areas
are added to the refuge, FWS folds them into its management
strategy, which involves select harvest of timber and prescribed
fires to cultivate a diverse forest ecosystem.
Working Across Lines on Ecosystem Restoration
Land preservation at LHAAP has been an important
advancement in establishment of a landscape-scale conservation
area on Caddo Lake. The refuge lands complement thousands
of acres managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
at the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area and Caddo
Lake State Park. Together, these conservations areas provide a
variety of complimentary habitats, including upland hardwood
forest, flooded cypress swamp, wetlands, shoreline and
biodiverse aquatic habitats. As wildlife are not constrained
by administrative boundaries and flow freely across the land,
landscape-scale conservation management is key to successful
wildlife preservation.
With this broader context in mind, FWS is currently
developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan that will
guide the long-term management of the refuge. The plan will
outline the habitat management goals and strategies, plans for
"It's important to consider landscape-scale
management. The refuge includes wetland
like the old growth bottomlands along
Harrison Bayou, the Caddo Lake shoreline
and upland sites that integrate well with the
state park and wildlife management area."
- Jim Neal, CLI consultant
I
1
At the Dwight K. Shellman Jr. Ramsar Wetlands Visitor Center, people
can learn about the refuge ecosystems. Image from Jack Canson.
building partnerships, and other management strategies that
FWS will undertake to advance the mission of the refuge. The
plan development process includes extensive public outreach
efforts, including focus groups, public meetings and comment
periods to educate and inform the community and gather
information and ideas and address concerns. FWS will develop
a series of alternative management approaches and gather
feedback on the preferred alternative before preparing a final
environmental document and plan.
Cultivating Partnerships
Many different local organizations work together and
independently to promote natural resource conservation in the
Caddo Lake area and at the refuge. Education and community
outreach have been a primary focus, with the goal of increasing
support for conservation and sharing the area's remarkable
natural resources with the community. The Cypress Basin
Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists is active at the refuge,
with volunteers building bird blinds, maintaining walking
trails, teaching community members about prescribed fires,
and fighting invasive species. Volunteers with the Friends
of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge also continue their
mission to support FWS operations. Collins Academy provides
environmental education opportunities related to the refuge.
Community members can be part of volunteer efforts at the
refuge by participating in bird counts, trail work and other
projects. CLI also works with FWS, TCEQ and other agencies
and nonprofits to coordinate Caddo Lake conservation
efforts across state lines. "Volunteer groups and education
organizations have been very active here," said refuge manager
Erik Duerkop. "They've made important contributions to
developing resources and improving visitor experiences."
Today, visitors can participate in hiking, biking, horseback
riding, bird watching and some hunting activities at the refuge.
The refuge boasts one of the most pristine examples of Piney
Woods ecosystem in the country, featuring bayous and forests
with diverse aquatic species and plant life nourished by the
area's heavy rainfall. Birders visiting the area can find over
200 species of birds, including wood duck, herons, warblers
Giant Salvinia: A Threat to Caddo Lake
The spread of Giant Salvinia, a floating aquatic fern,
threatens the health of the Caddo Lake ecosystem. The
invasive plant outcompetes and replaces native plants
and blocks sunlight and decreases oxygen concentrations
in the water, which damages fish and other aquatic
species. CLI, Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife
Refuge, the Greater Caddo Association of Texas and other
organizations are working hard to halt the plant's spread in
Caddo Lake. A type of weevil that feeds on Giant Salvinia,
damaging its buds and leaves, is being cultivated and used
as a biocontrol agent.
8

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and white-eyed vireos. Rafinesque's big-eared bats are among
nearly 50 species of mammals at the refuge, which also
supports 90 species of reptiles and amphibians, including
alligators and snapping turtles. The lake supports nearly 90
species of fish, including 18 species of game fish enjoyed by
fishing enthusiasts.
"This seems like the best possible use of the
land. It's available for a lot of people to use
and has wonderful habitat benefits."
- April Palmie, TCEQ
A total of 1,400 acres of Army land and accompanying 3.2
million gallons in water rights remain to be transferred to FWS
control. As groundwater cleanup proceeds. EPA continues its
oversight role, including engaging the community, helping
with development of land use controls and participating in
Restoration Advisory Board meetings. The Army and FWS
continue to negotiate over the terms of the final transfer, which
is complicated by remaining cleanup work. Under the 2004
MO A, the Army retains the right to transfer the land to a third
party should FWS refuse to accept the land. Project partners
remain deeply engaged in this conversation and are committed
to seeing the last part of site acreage finally transferred to FWS
management.
Harrison Bayou
A 400-acre virgin hardwood forest in this bayou, which is
part of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, has stood
untouched for over a century due to its inaccessibility.
"Harrison Bayou is some of the last of virgin forest in this
part of the world," said Gary Endsley. "It is pristine and
looks prehistoric."
Image from Laura-Ashley Overdyke used with permission of CLI.
"If there is a resource worth preserving,
conservationists should do everything they
can to protect the site, whatever it takes. "
- Jim Neal, CLI consultant
Community members continue to meet to learn about and discuss
remaining cleanup activities at LHAAP. Image from Jack Canson used
with permission of CLI.
Community Engagement in Cleanup and Reuse
Technical issues at Superfund sites are often hard for
people to understand. EPA and federal partners provide a
variety of tools to engage community stakeholders during
cleanup and reuse planning efforts.
EPAs Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program provides
money to community groups so they can procure technical
advisors to interpret and explain technical reports, site
conditions, and EPAs proposed cleanup proposals and
decisions. EPAs cleanup decisions depend on several
different tilings, including what studies say about site
conditions, the kinds of wastes found, and the cleanup
methods that would work at a particular site. A technical
advisor can help community members participate in
decision making by helping them better understand what
is going on at a site.
At LHAAP EPA technical assistance grants provided
the community with expertise to review and explain
the cleanup work underway. These technical assistance
services enabled community members to engage more
fully in the process. "Cleanup issues can be hard for
communities to understand." said EPA Remedial Project
Manager Stephen Tzhone. "Technical advisors help
communities more effectively participate in decision-
making by reviewing, commenting on. and translating
technical reports."
The site's Restoration Advisory Board is another vital
community engagement mechanism. The Department of
Defense establishes Restoration Advisory Boards to gather
community input and increase community understanding
of and support for cleanups. The advisory boards are
designed to be forums where citizens, the militaiy, EPA
and state representatives can share information and partner
on effective cleanups.
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Lessons Learned
Bigger Picture
Project participants identified several significant factors that
contributed to its successful outcomes.
•	LHAAP's location along an important bird migration
route, within the unique Caddo Lake landscape, and
nearby other large conservation lands made it a unique
opportunity for habitat preservation.
•	Harrison Bayou's pristine virgin flooded cypress forest,
one of the best examples of its kind in the country, drew
regional and national attention and support from FWS.
•	EPA works with communities and stakeholders to
support reuse outcomes that are compatible with site
cleanups. At Department of Defense sites, EPA's
work includes supporting community involvement,
facilitating property transfers and providing cleanup
oversight. As part of its ongoing support for cleanup
and reuse at LHAAP, EPA provided technical assistance
grant funding to support the community's effective
engagement, supported parties involved in MOA
negotiations and gathered community input.
•	CLI provided leadership and vision, bringing financial
and political resources as well as an ability to work with
a range of federal, state, local and nonprofit partners to
advance the establishment of the refuge.
•	Nonprofit and volunteer organizations dedicated
to public education and outreach built community
capacities to participate in the reuse and cleanup
discussions and have yielded a robust volunteer network
that supports ongoing refuge operations.
While these factors created an ideal climate for the successful
reuse of the LHAAP site, a range of broader lessons learned
can also help guide similar projects at contaminated lands
across the country:
Educate and involve communities.
Robust community engagement and education ensures
transparency and allows information to flow in both directions.
Providing detailed information helps clarify decision-
making, addresses concerns and establishes trust. The public
can provide valuable information and ideas throughout
the planning process, making remedy and reuse planning
efforts more successful. "Getting the community involved in
decision-making ensures that they are invested and are part of
the process," said TCEQ project manager April Palmie. In turn,
community engagement builds a sense of ownership, which
has resulted in high levels of volunteerism and support for the
refuge.
Bring in technical expertise.
Superfund cleanups and habitat restoration are both complex
endeavors. Bringing in outside expertise helps communities
learn about key issues and participate effectively in decision
making. At LHAAP, an EPA technical assistance grant funded
expert assistance to translate technical reports and studies and
provide the community with a deeper understanding of cleanup
issues. CLI and other advocacy organizations also contributed
resources and enviromnental education opportunities to help
community members understand and contribute to the natural
resource preservation effort.
EPA and Reuse: Lessons Learned
Since the inception of the Superfund program, EPA lias been building on its expertise in conducting site characterization
and remediation to ensure that contamination is not a barrier to the reuse of property. Today, consideration of future use
is an integral part of EPA's cleanup programs from initial site investigations and remedy selection through to the design,
implementation, and operation and maintenance of a site's remedy.
Interest in the remarkable natural resources located at LHAAP pointed to wildlife habitat as a reasonably anticipated future
use fairly early in the cleanup process. The reuse planning process identified valuable natural resources, gathered community
feedback, prioritized efforts, and informed the site remedy. Robust education and engagement efforts, led by local organizations
with support from federal partners, built capacity within the community to engage more fully in the planning process.
EPA also works with site stakeholders to consider how future land use considerations can inform the implementation and long-
term stewardship of site remedies as well as cleanup planning. At some sites, for example, reuse considerations can inform
the future location of groundwater monitoring wells and other operation and maintenance equipment that might inadvertently
hinder redevelopment efforts. At other sites, detailed site reuse plans have provided additional benefits that save time and
reduce redevelopment costs. For example, future infrastructure corridors or building footers can be installed in coordination
with site cleanup activities. Considering future use during cleanup design and contruction ensures that cleanup outcomes align
with community priorities.
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Think long term.
It can take many years to remediate contamination that lias
accumulated over decades. These activities provide a time
window for stakeholders to build partnerships and identify
resources, coordinate with EPA and state and other federal
agencies, and develop a strategy for returning a site to use while
protecting future users. Community engagement and capacity
building around environmental issues began in the area over
40 years ago. and cleanup and redevelopment efforts remain
ongoing today. "It's a matter of staying focused, persistent and
not giving up," said Gary Endsley. "In the end, all that effort
has been worth it."
Think beyond site boundaries.
Superfund sites are not islands: they are deeply embedded
in local and regional contexts. For decades, LHAAP was an
important employer in East Texas, and a key landmark for
residents in the nearby communities of Marshall and Uncertain.
The ecosystem at the site is tied to other conservation lands
nearby and to the larger Caddo Lake landscape, which crosses
the state border into Louisiana. Site reuse discussions took
this regional context into account, and involved a range of
federal, state, local and nonprofit organizations working across
boundaries.
Looking Forward
In the years to come, FWS, CLI, Friends of Caddo Lake National
Wildlife Refuge and other stakeholders will continue their
work to improve the habitat, resources and visitor experiences
at the refuge. EPA will oversee the ongoing cleanup effort,
and will find opportunities to support community engagement
processes and provide technical expertise to support reuse at
the site. FWS will focus on building new trails, expanding
its hunting program, removing additional old buildings, and
implementing the upcoming Comprehensive Conservation
Plan. CLI is focused on adding to the area's conservation lands,
increasing riverine flows into Caddo Lake to improve habitat
quality, and reintroducing paddlefish to the ecosystem. The
Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge will continue
to support FWS efforts at the refuge and focus on building
partnerships, improving visitor experiences, and renovating
Starr Ranch. These and other local advocacy organizations and
state and federal partners have worked together for decades,
resulting in the creation and long-term vitality of the Caddo
Lake National Wildlife Refuge. "EPA lias been working at the
site with the community for nearly three decades," said EPA
Project Manager Richard Mayer. "It's incredibly rewarding to
see these remarkable outcomes."
The community s role is very important in
keeping people's eyes on the ball and putting
pressure to move things forward."
- Rick Lowerre, CLI
Preserving Starr Ranch
Dating back to 1915, the Starr Ranch Hunting and Fishing
Lodge is now a crumbling ruin on the shore of Caddo
Lake. Many local community members recall visiting the
lodge for picnics back in its heyday. Friends of the Caddo
Lake National Wildlife Refuge is hard at work on restoring
the property for use by refuge visitors. While the facility
is too damaged for full restoration and reuse, volunteers
are working to create a pavilion for day use, add a boat
launch, and provide historical interpretation services.
The site's groundwater treatment plant will continue to operate for the
foreseeable future.
CLI and other advocacy organizations are working to reintroduce
paddlefish to the area. Image from FWS.
"This was a tremendous effort that
required financial commitment, community
organization, and comprehensive educational
approach."
- Jack Canson, Greater Caddo Lake Association
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Ancient Landscapes, Community History: Restoring and Celebrating a National Treasure
THE LONGHORN ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT SUPERFUND SITE IN KARNACK, TEXAS
Sources and Resources

Sources

Images and maps for this case study are provided courtesy of EPA Region 6, CLI, FWS and Jack Canson.
Resources

EPA site profile page:
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:
https://cumulis.epa.eov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.
https://www.tceq.texas.eov/remediation/superfund
cfm?id=0603606&msspp=med
Caddo Lake Institute:
EPA Superfund Redevelopment Initiative:
http ://www. caddolakeinstitute .us
https ://www. epa. eov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative
Greater Caddo Lake Association of Texas:
EPA Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program:
http ://eclaoftx. com
https://www.epa.eov/superfund/technical-assistance-erant-
tae-proeram
Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge:
http://www.caddofriends.com
U.S. Army Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant

Enviromnental Restoration Program:

http://www.lonehornaap.com

Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge:

https://www.fws.eov/refuee/Caddo Lake/about.html

&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Region 6
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75202
January 2018

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