About the Restoration Project

Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant (CHAAP) includes five major production areas (Load Lines) where munitions were loaded, assembled and packed; a fertilizer manufacturer; two major storage facilities; sanitary landfills and burning grounds where materials contaminated with explosives were ignited. Improper disposal of contaminated wastewater and other plant operations resulted in groundwater contamination on and off the site.

CHAAP is being addressed through Department of Defense (DoD) Federal Facility actions with oversight by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) (formerly known as the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality [NDEQ]). USEPA, NDEQ, and DoD signed an Interagency Agreement in 1990 that describes how the Army will perform work to investigate and clean up the site.

Cleanup efforts described below are to be accomplished under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act as amended by Superfund Amendments and Re-authorization Act of 1986 requirements.

The USEPA has conducted several Five-Year Reviews of the site’s remedy. These reviews evaluate whether the remedies put in place protect public health and the environment, and function as intended by site decision documents. The most recent review concluded that response actions at the site are in accordance with the remedy selected by the USEPA and that the remedy continues to be protective of human health and the environment in the short term. Continued protectiveness of the remedy requires continued groundwater monitoring and implementation of institutional controls.

Systems are currently in place at the site for extracting and treating contaminated groundwater. In addition to extraction and treatment, the remedy for the groundwater contamination includes monitored natural attenuation and long-term monitoring. Natural attenuation describes a variety of indigenous processes that, under favorable conditions, act without human intervention to reduce the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume or concentration of contaminants in groundwater. Remedies for other parts of the site include removal of soil contaminants and debris and institutional controls to prevent the property’s use for non-industrial purposes.

At this time, the USACE has conducted a trial shutdown of the groundwater (Operable Unit 1) extraction and treatment system, combined with a program of nutrient injections to enhance natural contaminant degradation processes in the groundwater. USACE has prepared a Focused Feasibility Study to evaluate the potential of alternative remedies. An alternative remedy for Operable Unit 1 was selected by USACE, in consultation with USEPA and NDEE. That alternative remedy (In-situ Bioremediation, Groundwater Monitoring, and Land Use Controls) was presented in a Proposed Plan prepared by USACE and approved by USEPA and NDEE. USACE is currently working on a Record of Decision Amendment to document the decision process. For more information on Operable Unit 1, an Operable Unit 1 Fact Sheet is available. 

USACE/Army is currently evaluating whether contamination remains at Operable Unit 5. The first phase of site cleanup at Operable Unit 5 included excavating and sifting soil to locate and dispose of potential unexploded ordnance and gravel mines. Under the second stage of work, sifted soil, as well as the excavated site, was characterized for contaminant concentrations that exceed cleanup levels. The USACE transported and disposed of soils with contaminants above cleanup levels to an off-site facility. Currently, USACE is completing a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study at Operable Unit 5 to determine the nature and extent of any remaining contamination and evaluate the feasibility of remedial alternatives. A Proposed Plan and Record of Decision will be prepared by USACE to document the selected remedy for Operable Unit 5.

Checking groundwater parameters during annual groundwater monitoring event.

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