Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former)

The Nebraska Ordnance Plant (Former) was a roughly 17,000-acre Army munitions installation located just east of Mead in Saunders County, Nebraska. Established in 1942 as one of the country's World War II bomb-making plants, it assembled bombs, boosters and shells during the war years and was reactivated from 1950 to 1956 to support the Korean War effort. From 1959 to 1960 the Air Force built an Atlas missile launch area on part of the property, which was decommissioned in 1964 and later transferred to the Nebraska National Guard. Munitions production ceased in the mid-1950s, after which portions of the site were used for storage and ammonium nitrate production. Much of the former plant land is now used for agriculture and university research.

Because of the explosives assembly, degreasing and storage activities that took place across the property for decades, the site has been associated with environmental contamination in both soil and groundwater. Investigations beginning in the 1980s identified contaminants that have raised concerns about potential exposure for people who lived, worked or used drinking water wells near the former plant.

1. RDX and other explosive compounds. RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) is a powerful explosive that was handled at the plant during the loading and assembly of bombs, boosters and shells. Residues from these operations contaminated the upper soils and migrated into the underlying aquifer. RDX in drinking water has been associated with concerns about potential effects on the nervous system, and exposure pathways at sites like this one are evaluated as part of ongoing study.
2. Trichloroethylene (TCE). TCE is a chlorinated solvent that was commonly used at the plant as a degreaser for cleaning metal parts and equipment. Releases of this solvent contributed to the groundwater plumes documented beneath and downgradient of the site. TCE exposure has been associated in scientific literature with concerns about effects on the liver, kidneys, immune system and certain cancers, which is why drinking water near former defense sites is closely monitored.
3. Volatile organic compounds and other solvents. Beyond TCE, a range of volatile organic compounds and solvents associated with industrial cleaning and munitions work were identified in soil and groundwater. These compounds can move through subsurface water and have been associated with concerns about potential exposure through contaminated wells, prompting treatment and continued sampling.

The former Nebraska Ordnance Plant was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List as a Superfund site on August 30, 1990. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA and Nebraska environmental regulators entered an interagency agreement in 1991 and organized the work into operable units addressing contaminated surface soils and groundwater. Contaminated soils were excavated and treated on site, with that phase completed in 1999, while groundwater extraction wells and treatment plants using ultraviolet and advanced oxidation processes continue to remove RDX and TCE from the aquifer. Cleanup, monitoring and maintenance at the site remain ongoing.

Veterans, family members and others who served at or lived near the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant may wish to stay informed as environmental monitoring and remediation continue. Anyone with questions about possible exposure and related health concerns is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal healthcare provider, who can offer guidance based on individual service history and circumstances.