Fieldwork continues at Golden Eagle North Munitions Response Site

Fieldwork continues this month at the Golden Eagle North Munitions Response Site (MRS), located in the foothills near The Ranches in Eagle Mountain.

The U.S. Army National Guard, in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), began Phase 2 of its site mobilization on Oct. 13 to continue evaluating and safely characterizing the area for any potential remnants of historical military activity.

Earlier this year, the Army National Guard completed Phase 1 of its mobilization at the site. That phase involved a comprehensive surface sweep and geophysical survey to detect metallic anomalies that could indicate the presence of munitions or related debris.

According to project officials, the Phase 1 investigation found no visible munitions or explosive items on the surface.

“The team conducted a full surface sweep of the Golden Eagle North area and didn’t identify any munitions,” said Eagle Mountain City Communications Manager Tyler Maffitt. “It appears based on information shared that equipment did detect a few areas with more subsurface signals than the surrounding terrain. This doesn’t necessarily mean there are munitions, it simply means those areas warrant closer examination.”

Based on the data gathered in Phase 1, the contractor has identified 17 smaller “grid areas” within and around the previously detected high-density zones. During Phase 2, field crews will remove light vegetation and perform another round of geophysical surveys within these grids. The goal is to further characterize the site and determine whether any buried materials of concern exist.

The Golden Eagle North MRS is part of the larger Camp Williams Military Reservation Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS), an area used for training exercises in the early 20th century. The munitions response effort, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is intended to ensure that any residual risks from past military use are identified and mitigated.

Residents may notice activity in the hills north of the city over the coming weeks as contractors carry out the next phase of work. Crews will be hiking with survey equipment and performing limited vegetation removal to access the survey areas.

Officials say the same equipment staging area used during the spring’s mobilization will be used again.

“If residents have any concerns about noise or staging locations, we want to hear from them,” Maffitt said. “We’re grateful for the continued support of Camp Williams and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and want to ensure the work causes as little disruption as possible.”

No public access restrictions are expected during this stage of the project, and no safety hazards have been identified. The investigation is part of a multi-phase process that includes site characterization, risk assessment, and, if necessary, remediation or removal of any hazardous materials.