Recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a public notice stating that a recent Site Inspection at the former Fort Jackson was completed to “assess sites that may have unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions,” which raised a few eyebrows throughout the parish.

But according to Karan Holmes, Account Manager for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Ft. Worth district, and Clay Church, US Army Corps Public Affairs Officer, the assessment findings were nothing out of the ordinary and should not worry the public.

“In fact, Fort Jackson first came on our radar due to cannon balls in the Fort Jackson museum. Not because of munitions actually on grounds of the site,” said Holmes. “We’ve recommended the site be taken off the list.”

Fort Jackson is one of many former military installations throughout the United States that are being reviewed under the Department of Defense’s Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol, which is used to assess sites that may have unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and to assign priorities to any munitions removal that may be required. 

According to the Army Corps public notice, the evaluation criteria, including types of munitions that may be present, ease of access to the site and number of people living near the site, are available for public review in the Site Inspection Report located at the Plaquemines Parish Library, 8442 Louisiana 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037.