Gopher Ordnance Works (Rosemount)

The Gopher Ordnance Works was a World War II era U.S. Army smokeless gunpowder plant located in Rosemount and what was then Empire Township, in Dakota County, Minnesota. The facility was designed, built, and operated by DuPont under government contract and once spanned more than 11,000 acres. Construction proceeded in 1943, but production lines remained largely idle until the plant briefly manufactured smokeless powder for military artillery from roughly November 1944 through August 1945. Because the war ended shortly after operations began, the plant ran for only about nine months before it was closed. The land later passed to the University of Minnesota and is now known as UMore Park, the focus of ongoing environmental study and reuse planning.

Decades of investigation by the University, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) have identified a range of substances in soil, in the site's extensive sewer system, and in groundwater. Because the property is a Formerly Used Defense Site, these findings have prompted concerns about potential exposure for people who lived near, worked at, or were stationed at the installation during and after its active period.

1. Heavy metals. Investigations found arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead in soil and in former dump and sewer areas at the site, in some locations at concentrations well above state reference values. These metals are associated with former production, waste handling, and disposal practices, and exposure to elevated levels of metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury has been associated with a variety of health concerns.
2. Polychlorinated biphenyls. PCBs are a group of manufactured chemicals once widely used in electrical equipment and other industrial applications. They were detected in soil at the former Gopher Ordnance Works, and concerns about potential exposure to PCBs have been associated with possible long term health effects.
3. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are a family of compounds that can form from combustion and from petroleum and coal products. They were identified in site soils, where they may be linked to former plant operations and waste areas, and some PAHs have been associated with potential health concerns.
4. Dinitrotoluene (DNT). DNT was used as an additive in the cannon powder produced at the plant and was found in soil during site investigations. Exposure to nitroaromatic compounds such as DNT has been the subject of health concern in occupational and environmental settings.
5. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Solvent related VOCs have been detected in groundwater beneath portions of the site. Such compounds can move with groundwater, and concerns about potential exposure have been associated with their presence in drinking water sources.

The former Gopher Ordnance Works is not listed on the federal National Priorities List. The site has instead been addressed through state and federal programs, with remedial investigation and cleanup activities carried out by the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under MPCA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency oversight since the 1980s. A remedial investigation of roughly several thousand acres of UMore Park, completed in stages, continues to inform cleanup decisions, and a financial settlement was reported to support further work at the property.

Veterans, civilian workers, and family members who spent time at or near this installation may wish to stay informed as investigation and cleanup continue. Anyone with questions about possible exposure or related health matters is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and to consult a personal health care provider for individual guidance.