Residents of Fort Bragg’s private family housing may see work crews in their neighborhoods starting this week.
The crews are testing the soil for lead in the military installation’s historic neighborhoods. The tests are focused on homes built before 1978—the year lead-based paint was banned for consumer use in the United States.
Soil naturally contains low levels of lead, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Hazardous levels often appear in soil near houses with lead paint, as paint chips and dust containing lead fall to the ground. Elevated lead levels are also common in soil near roadways used by vehicles running on leaded gasoline.
There is no indication or evidence that residents of Fort Bragg’s privatized housing have an increased risk or exposure to lead, the installation’s press release announcing the testing stated. Rather, the testing is a “proactive measure to assess potential environmental concerns across the installation and ensure the long-term health and safety of our community,” a Fort Bragg spokesperson told CityView.
“We understand the concern this issue raises for our community,” the spokesperson said. “While we do not view this as a public health emergency, we encourage any families with concerns about lead exposure to contact their primary care manager to request a blood test.”
Being exposed to high levels of lead is especially dangerous for children under 6 years old, as they are still developing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, leading to learning, behavior, speech and hearing problems.
Test results will be used to follow up on an early 1993 Lead Paint Study conducted in Fort Bragg neighborhoods by the EPA, the installation spokesperson explained. When the EPA reexamined the study’s data, it found inconclusive lead soil results, requiring additional testing. The agency approached Fort Bragg garrison leadership to conduct new tests to check lead soil levels.
Not all of Fort Bragg’s homes built before 1978 will be tested. The installation only requires a sample of homes to get an accurate estimate of lead levels in the soil.
“Our first obligation is to the soldiers and families who serve our nation, and ensuring their right to safe, clean and healthy homes,” Col. Chad Mixon, Fort Bragg garrison commander, said in the press release. “When the EPA brought this issue to our attention, we immediately began planning new testing. We will continue to act with urgency and transparency as we move forward.”
Residents will receive an email notification from Corvias, the company managing Fort Bragg’s privatized housing, if their home is slated for testing, the installation spokesperson said. Some have already been notified, Jeff Williams, Corvias’ senior vice president of asset management at Fort Bragg, told CityView.
Corvias will also follow up with residents with test results. If samples come back with levels above EPA safety thresholds—which the agency defines as an average of 1,200 parts per million in a bare soil sample from a yard—Fort Bragg will begin mitigation efforts.
Corvias is also conducting its own soil sampling this week and has a lead testing plan for a portion of the privatized housing it manages, Williams said.
“Corvias remains committed to working closely with our Army partners to maintain safe, high-quality living environments and to support the well-being of the military families we are privileged to serve,” he said.
Lead has long plagued Army installations. In 2018, Reuters found homes at several Army installations had deteriorating lead paint that had yet to be abated, and was leading to the poisoning of over 1,000 children.
Fort Bragg had 10 children under 5 years old whose blood tests showed dangerous levels of lead from January 2016 to August 2018, installation officials told The Fayetteville Observer in September 2018. Only two lived in on-post housing.
In 2023, Army internal auditors found that the service didn’t provide effective oversight to ensure that privatized housing with lead paint, including on Fort Bragg, was safe for families to live in, according to a report obtained by The Army Times. Several Fort Bragg families living in Corvias housing filed a class-action lawsuit against the company in 2020 for hazardous living conditions, including the presence of lead-based paint. Many began settling the lawsuit privately last year.
Since January, Corvias has been renovating homes across Fort Bragg as part of its multi-year infrastructure upgrade plan. The plan includes updated flooring and roofing, humidity controls, and switching heating and cooling systems to geothermal energy.
In total, 300 homes will be renovated as part of Corvias’ $91 million Homestead Project, Williams said. He said the Hillcrest neighborhood on Pope Army Airfield will be the first to receive upgrades, and more neighborhoods will be announced later this month.
Soil and paint aren’t the only possible avenues for lead exposure. There are dozens of children’s products, including toys and sippy cups, that have been recalled for their unsafe lead content. A full list is available on the CDC’s website and the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s online recall list.
Families seeking more information about the ongoing soil testing can contact their local Corvias Community Center.
CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the News Foundation of Greater Fayetteville.