The former Nebraska Ordnance Plant covers about 17,000 acres near Mead, Nebraska. It produced munitions from 1942 to 1956, then shifted to munitions storage, ammonium nitrate production, and agricultural research. Today, the University of Nebraska runs its Agricultural Research and Development Center on the property. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in August 1990 and is being cleaned up under a Federal Facilities Agreement among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
Contamination includes explosive compounds and solvents found in both soil and groundwater. Soil contaminants include RDX, HMX, TNT, TETRYL, and various dinitrobenzenes and nitrotoluenes. Groundwater contaminants include RDX, TNT, trichloroethene (TCE), 1,4-dioxane, dichloromethane, and 1,2-dichloropropane. These substances entered the environment through past disposal of radioactive wastes, solid wastes, and chemicals at the site.
Cleanup is organized into five operable units (OUs) covering contaminated soils, groundwater, site-wide conditions, and the University of Nebraska property. The Army Corps incinerated 16,500 cubic yards of explosive-contaminated soils by 1998. The University of Nebraska excavated and disposed of buried wastes at approved off-site facilities by early 2008. Groundwater treatment is active, with 11 extraction wells processing roughly 2,680 gallons per minute. The system uses carbon adsorption, air stripping, ultraviolet units, and an Advanced Oxidation Process with an ozone generator. The site-wide final remedy was selected in September 2013, and final remedial action began in October 2017.
Construction is not yet complete across the entire site, and it has not been deleted from the NPL. EPA has confirmed that human exposure to contaminants in soil and groundwater is currently under control and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized. A five-year review was completed in June 2024, with the next estimated between October and December 2027. EPA has also required an enforceable Land Use Control Implementation Plan to keep the remedy protective long term. Nine businesses currently operate on portions of the site, employing 304 people and generating about $39.5 million in annual sales.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy also handles inquiries.
