About the Fort Devens Sudbury Annex
Background on the Fort Devens Sudbury Annex
The Fort Devens Sudbury Training Annex, or "Ammunition Dump" as the Annex is locally known, is an inactive 2,450 acre Army base located in the towns of Maynard, Stow, Hudson, and Sudbury. The Annex was most recently used by Army reservists for troop field training during the Desert Storm initiative.
Environmental Impact of the Annex
In the past, the Annex was used by different military agencies for the testing and disposal of military materials and hazardous waste, including ammunition, solvents, and 
petroleum products. In 1989, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that the Army's past disposal practices had contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath the Annex. The EPA listed the Annex on the National Priority List (the list of the most hazardous waste sites in the country) and ordered the Army to begin an environmental investigation in preparation of eventual contamination cleanup.
The primary concern of the EPA is the potential for Army contaminants migrating off base and into the public and private drinking water supplies of the surrounding communities. The groundwater beneath the Annex feeds public and private drinking water supplies. Maynard has a public drinking water well located on former Army land. This well is currently closed.
The remedial investigation of the Sudbury Annex began in 1990 and is expected to continue through the late 1990s. It is anticipated that the Army will be required to conduct some amount of environmental cleanup after the investigation determines the extent and type of contamination. After cleanup, the Army will close the Annex as a Department of Defense facility.
FOCUS and the Future of the Annex
The future use of the land has not yet been finalized; however it appears that the
United States Fisheries and Wildlife Service will acquire a portion of the land to be used as a wildlife refuge due to the extensive wetlands contained on the property. Fisheries and Wildlife has determined that the Annex provides habitat for numerous species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and plants, including some protected species.
A community outreach group was formed in 1990 to monitor the Army's investigation and eventual clean up of the Annex. Four Town FOCUS (Families Organized to Clean Up Sites) is a non-profit, tax exempt citizens group endorsed by the elected officials of the four communities and recognized by the Army as a public interest group. FOCUS obtained a technical assistance grant from the USEPA to help citizens interpret the technical reports produced by the Army in the investigation process.
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