Pools Prairie

Overview

Pools Prairie sits in Newton County, Missouri, near Neosho. It is a former military and aerospace manufacturing complex, also known as Fort Crowder and Air Force Plant 65, where rocket and jet engines were produced and tested from the 1950s through the 1980s. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1999, which means the EPA has identified it as a priority for investigation and cleanup. The site is divided into seven operable units covering different areas and types of contamination.

The main contaminants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene. These chemicals are present in soil and groundwater. TCE can also affect indoor air in buildings located above contaminated groundwater. Known impacts to private drinking water wells have been addressed by connecting affected residences to the city of Neosho's public water supply, which was extended to nearby areas in 1999 to 2000 and again in 2014. The EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control and that contaminated groundwater is not migrating or discharging to surface water at unacceptable levels. Physical cleanup construction is not yet complete, and the site has not been deleted from the NPL.

Cleanup work to date has included soil excavation and soil vapor extraction at all four source areas, carried out between 2005 and 2022. Removal actions across multiple operable units took place from 1998 through 2023. A remedial investigation into site-wide groundwater ran from 2011 to 2017 and is now complete. A focused feasibility study for Operable Unit 7, which will lay out cleanup options, is being drafted and is scheduled for completion in 2026. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study for site-wide groundwater is currently underway, with a final remedy decision, called a Record of Decision, estimated between March and May 2028.

The EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversee cleanup actions carried out by potentially responsible parties. One on-site business currently operates at the property, and portions of the site remain in active use as a Missouri Army National Guard installation. The EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program is also working to help return the site to productive use over time.

Community members who want to learn more or stay involved can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, or the Remedial Project Manager for technical questions. Missouri DNR is also available. Public documents, including the Final Remedial Investigation Report and administrative records, are available for review.