Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (Northwest Lagoon)

Overview

Lake City Army Ammunition Plant covers 3,935 acres near Kansas City, Missouri, and has operated as an ammunition manufacturing facility since 1941. The Northwest Lagoon portion was added to the National Priorities List in 1987. Cleanup is organized into five operable units covering different areas of the site, and physical construction work is not yet complete across the entire facility.

Contamination affects groundwater, surface water, and soil. EPA has identified more than 150 substances of concern, including volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel are present, along with chlorinated solvents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), explosives residue like RDX, and perchlorate and depleted uranium. These contaminants are spread across the four active cleanup units.

The U.S. Army is the responsible party. Cleanup methods in use or completed include extraction wells, excavation, soil vapor extraction, air stripping, bioremediation, permeable reactive barriers, and monitored natural attenuation. Operable Unit 1 received its cleanup decision in 2008 and now focuses on groundwater sampling and land use control inspections. Operable Unit 2 had a revised plan issued in 2007 after groundwater contamination proved larger than first thought, and optimization work continues. Operable Unit 3 completed field work in 2018 and is testing a thermal treatment system in 2024. Operable Unit 4 requires only annual inspections following its 2009 decision. The site operates under land use controls including soil caps, fencing, warning signs, and a ban on drinking groundwater.

EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. However, cleanup goals for current and anticipated future land uses have not all been met, and additional work remains. In August 2025, EPA issued an Independent Finding of Protectiveness Deferred for the Fifth Five-Year Review, meaning a review addendum must be completed within nine months.

Community members can attend semiannual Restoration Advisory Board meetings hosted by the Army. The Army sends mail notifications before each meeting. Two free federal programs are also available: Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) provides scientists and engineers at no cost, and a Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) of up to $50,000 is available to hire an independent technical advisor. For questions, the public can reach EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Shaylee Borcsani or EPA Remedial Project Manager Jacob Mertes directly.