Corps of Engineers conducts FUSRAP five-year review

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting the first Five-Year Review of its environmental remedial actions that have been implemented at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (located in Middletown, Iowa). The purpose of the Five-Year Review is to determine whether the remedial actions are protective of human health and the environment. In addition, the Five-Year Review report will identify issues, if any, found during the review and make recommendations to address them.

For management purposes, the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant environmental cleanup is divided into eight operable units, or OUs. The USACE Five-Year Review is required for those OUs that fall under the responsibility of USACE as outlined in the FUSRAP Record of Decision for the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, dated September 2011. OUs included in this review are OU-1 Line 1 (including the Building 1-70 area and the surrounding filter bed) and West Burn Pad Area South of the Road; and OU-8, which includes the Firing Sites Area; Storage Yards C, G and L; and Warehouse 3-01.

The selected remedy consists of

1. the excavation and sorting of depleted uranium (DU)-contaminated soil with off-site shipment to a properly permitted disposal facility,
2. backfilling with clean sorted soil or supplemental soil and site restoration,
3. decontamination of structural surfaces in two buildings at Line 1 and disposal of materials at permitted facilities,
4. excavation and shipping for disposal of explosives contaminated soil at Building 1-70, and
5. continued industrial land use.

USACE is conducting this Five-Year Review as required by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as CERCLA or Superfund, and the National Contingency Plan (short for National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan). USACE will conduct the review with oversight and support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

The final Five-Year Review report will be available in January 2019 at the following locations:

• IAAAP Visitor Reception Area in the IAAAP Administrative Building 100-101, 17571 DMC Highway 79, Middletown, IA 52638-5000;
• Burlington Public Library, 501 North Fourth St., Burlington, IA 52601; and the
• FUSRAP Project Office, 8945 Latty Ave., Berkeley, MO 63134-1024.

For more information regarding FUSRAP environmental activities at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, contact Michael Kessler at 314-260-3919.