Military has left a deadly legacy
Old and forgotten Navy, Army bases filled with environmental hazardsComment on this story
By RUSSELL CAROLLO
THE SACRAMENTO BEELast Updated: April 22, 2007, 04:24:08 AM PDT
First of two parts.
SACRAMENTO -Time bombs lurk beneath California, from the Mexican border to the Oregon state line, under hills, valleys and coastlines, poised to contaminate wells, pollute waterways, jeopardize property values and endanger human lives.
Hundreds of locations already have been polluted, and how much more of the state is at risk, no one really knows.
What is known is that more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected military sites, the largest number in the country, are spread across California, covering an area more than twice the size of Connecticut. Many were abandoned decades ago but may still be contaminated with toxic chemicals, bombs and other munitions or even radioactive waste, a six-month examination by The Sacramento Bee found.