Nebraska Superfund Site: Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant
Fight Air Pollution & Water Pollution With an Environmental Toxic Tort Lawsuit
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Do you need a Toxic Tort Attorney in The Cornhusker State? The U.S. E.P.A. has designated Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant in Nebraska as a Superfund site due to its levels of toxic pollution and danger to the natural world. You can read the report for the site below.
Some Superfund sites are on the National Priority Site Lists. The National Priorities List ("NPL") is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on the NPL. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
Sites are listed on the NPL upon completion of Hazard Ranking System (HRS) screening, public solicitation of comments about the proposed site, and after all comments have been addressed. EPA may delete a final NPL site if it determines that no further response is required to protect human health or the environment. Sites where a remediation was completed through the Superfund program are typically deleted from the NPL.
Living near Superfund Sites in Nebraska may place you and your communtiy at risk of developing a disease from exposure to the site and experiencing a loss of value for your property, but there are steps you can take to fight back: The EPA says,
[We have] set up a "Post Construction Completion" (or PCC) strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. EPA's Post Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and/or reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection of human health and the environment.However, most of the Superfund sites are still very dangerous to the health of local residents.
When you rely on Weitz & Luxenberg, you benefit from the legal experience of skilled Toxic Tort lawyers who will help fight back against polluters and win you and your loved ones the financial compensation and environmental remediation to which you are entitled.
Below you can read the EPA report for the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant Superfund site. If you, a loved one, or someone in your community has suffered due to toxic pollution in Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant, or if your property has lost value because of pollution, you will need a toxic tort lawyer who knows the people of the State of Nebraska . You can begin the process of filing a claim by filling out this simple form. There is no obligation, and your case will be evaluated within one day. To refer a friend, neighbor, or loved one, follow this link to let them know about the environmental toxic tort attorneys at Weitz & Luxenberg.
Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant
This site is a Federal Facility.
Cornhusker Army
Ammunition Plant
Nebraska
Epa Id# Ne2213820234
EPA Region 7
City: 6 miles west of Grand Island
County: Hall County
Other Names:
Site Description
The 19-square mile Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant is a U.S. Army Armament, Munitions,
and Chemical Command facility. On standby status since 1973, the operation leases 16 square
miles of land for agriculture, grazing, and wildlife management activities. The plant was built in
1942 to produce munitions and provide support functions during World War II. It has been in and
out of production over the years. The plant consists of five main components: five major
production areas where munitions were loaded, assembled, and packed; a fertilizer manufacturer;
two major storage facilities; a sanitary landfill; and a burning ground where materials
contaminated with explosives were ignited. When the plant was active, staff disposed of
wastewater contaminated with explosives into 56 earthen surface impoundments, which were
located near the five production areas. Dried solids from the bottom of the pits periodically were
scraped and ignited at the burning ground. Releases from the surface impoundments have
contaminated approximately 500 private wells. Activities at the site currently are limited to
maintenance and leasing operations. Once environmental studies required for real estate
transactions are completed, the Army plans to sell the property. Polluted groundwater has
migrated off the site and has been detected as far as 7 miles beyond the plant's border. The area
affected by groundwater contamination is mostly suburban, and residents now rely on public
water supply for drinking water. Approximately 3,000 people live within 1 mile, and 27,000 live
within 3 miles of the site. Groundwater also is used for farmland irrigation and for watering
livestock.
Site Responsibility:
This site is being addressed through Federal
actions.
Npl Listinghistory
Proposed Date:10/15/84
Final Date:
Deleted Date:
07/22/87
Threats And Contaminants
Groundwater both on and off the site is contaminated with various explosives.
Soils are contaminated with various explosives and heavy metals such as lead,
chromium, and cadmium. Human and livestock health may be adversely affected by
drinking contaminated groundwater or through direct contact with contaminated
soil. The provision of bottled water and alternate water supplies has reduced the
potential of exposure to hazardous substances in the drinking water.
Cleanup Approach
Response Action Status
Immediate Actions: The Army provided bottled water to the 250 homes with contaminated wells
until residences could be hooked up to the city's water system. In 1986, the municipal water
system was extended to 800 residences in Grand Island. In 1987, the Army started an incineration
program to treat the contaminated soil in the 56 surface impoundments. Workers excavated the
soil and then incinerated it to destroy the contaminants. The excavated pits were backfilled with
off-site sand and gravel, and the ash from the incinerator was landfilled on site. The Army had
burned 40,000 tons of soil by 1988, when the State-monitored operation ended. In 1991 and
1992, the Army provided bottled water to additional homes with contaminated wells until
residences were hooked up to the City's water system. In addition, the EPA built a protective
barrier around unexploded ordinance at the burning ground in 1993.
Groundwater: In 1990, an investigation by the Department of the Army identified several areas of
potential contamination. The Army investigated the plume of groundwater that moved off site to
determine the types and levels of contaminants present and the extent of threat to human health
and the environment. The Army submitted a draft report of the investigation in early 1993, but the
EPA, the Army, and the State of Nebraska agreed that additional work would be necessary due to
data gaps.
This work involved dividing the site into smaller areas to facilitate the additional field work
required. A study of ways to prevent further contaminant migration of the groundwater
contaminated with explosives was completed in 1994. An interim cleanup remedy involving
groundwater containment was selected in 1994 that called for the construction of a groundwater
pump and treat system. The system is operational and an additional onsite well was constructed in
the summer of 1999. As a result of the operation of this well, no additional contaminated
groundwater will leave the site.
Site Facts:
Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant is participating in the Installation Restoration
Program, a specially funded program established by the Department of Defense
(DoD) in 1978 to identify, investigate, and control migration of hazardous
contaminants at military and other DoD facilities. An Interagency Agreement
between the EPA, Nebraska Department of Environmental Control, and the DoD
was signed in 1990. Under this Agreement, the Army is investigating and cleaning
up the site.
Environmental Progress
The extension of the municipal water supply to over 800 residences and the provision
of bottled water to additional homes has reduced the potential of exposure to hazardous
substances in the drinking water. The excavation and incineration of contaminated soil has
resulted in elimination of a primary source of contaminants and reduced other pathways of
contamination at the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant site. These actions will protect the
public health and the environment while further studies are being conducted and cleanup activities
are being completed. The construction of the onsite groundwater extraction system began the
summer 1997 and was completed a year later. The system extracts contaminated groundwater at
seven onsite wells. After passing through a carbon filtration system, the drinking quality
groundwater discharges to a ditch on the site. The offsite contamination plume continues to
shrink as measured by the groundwater monitoring study. The extraction wells are capturing all
of the plume before it leaves the site. A ROD Amendment is being developed to change the offsite
plume treatment to natural attenuation. Groundwater models show that the plume will be below
cleanup levels in 3-5 years.
Site Repository
Grand Island Public Library, 211 North Superfund Records Center
Washington Street, Grand Island,
Ne
901 N. 5th St.68802
Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant, Mail Stop SUPR
102 North 60th Road, Grand Island, (913)551-4038
Ne 68803
Kansas City, KS 66101
Regional
Site Manager:
Robert Koke
E-Mail Address:
koke.robert@epa.gov.
(913) 551-7468
Community Involvement
Coordinator:
Phone Number:
Public Information Center:
E-Mail Address:
State Contact:
Ed Southwick, NDEH
Phone Number:
(402) 471-2988
Miscellaneous Information
State:
Ne
073W
Congressional District:
03
Epa Organization:
Sfd-Supr/Ffse
Modifications
source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Act Now! It is essential that you inquire about your pollutant lawsuit as soon as possible. Nebraska law may limit your time to bring a legal claim to protect your rights. Your legal review is free and there is no commitment. You case will be evaluated immediately, so get started on your claim today!
see also:
Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former)
Environmental Pollution in Nebraska- Site: Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former)Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former) Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
Hastings Ground Water Contamination
Environmental Pollution in Nebraska- Site: Hastings Ground Water ContaminationHastings Ground Water Contamination Superfund Site Info - Fight Air Pollution, Water Pollution
NE
Environmental Pollution Lawsuit: Nebraska Superfund SitesNebraska Superfund Sites: Fight Environmental Air and Water Pollution
