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NPL Site Narrative for Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant
CORNHUSKER ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT
Hall County, Nebraska
Federal Register Notice: July 22, 1987Conditions at proposal (October 15, 1984): The Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant is in Hall County, Nebraska, approximately 3 miles west of the City of Grand Island. The facility, which is owned by the U.S. Army and operated by a contractor, operated intermittently in 1942-73 to produce bombs, shells, boosters, and mines. It is now in standby status.
Wastes containing trinitrotoluene (TNT) and RDX, an experimental explosive, have been disposed through cesspools, leach pits, burning, and burial at many locations at the facility. The wastes have contaminated the aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for residents in the area. The Army has supplied bottled water to residences whose wells were contaminated and provided funds to the City of Grand Island to extend its municipal water system to serve affected residences. Surface waters have not been affected to date.
The hazardous waste site consists of a major portion of the plant containing the manufacturing area -- load lines 1 through 5, the magazine areas, and the shop area; and waste disposal areas -- the sanitary landfill, demolition area, and burn ground area; and the contaminated aquifer extending east of the plant. The site covers over 9 square miles.
The plant area is underlain by moderately to highly permeable unconsolidated deposits which yield large quantities of good quality ground water for drinking water, agriculture, and industry. Most of the land surrounding the site is used for agriculture and is under irrigation during much of the growing season. The surface is drained through intermittent streams, with the closest continuously flowing water body 5 miles away.
The plant is participating in the Installation Restoration Program, established in 1978. Under this program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination from hazardous materials. The Army has completed Phase I (records search). Phase II (preliminary survey) is underway.
Status (July 22, 1987): In December 1986, the extension of the Grand Island Water system was completed.
The Army has identified sources of contamination within the plant, and later in 1987 intends to start incinerating soil contaminated with explosives. The Army is now evaluating alternatives to clean up contaminated ground water. Over 500 private wells have been contaminated to date.
Within the boundaries of this Federal facility, including this specific NPL site, there are no areas subject to the Subtitle C corrective action authorities of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Therefore, this Federal facility site is being placed on the Federal section of the NPL.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.