The Historical Timeline
Radford Army Ammunition Plant Historical Timeline
1985
7 FEB – 5000 lbs of nitroglycerine explodes at RAAP; 1 killed, 1 missing
John Mintz, “Nitro Blast Rocks Army Ammunition Plant,” Washington Post, Feb 7, 1985
2015
28 FEB – The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) publishes “Health Consultation: Evaluation of Potential for Chemicals Released to Groundwater or Surface Water to Affect Drinking Water in the Nearby Community.” (See Summary)
Radford Army Ammunition Plant_HC_Final_01-28-2015Download
24 JULY – Radford Ammunition Plant open burning permit from May 20, 2010, is renewed; expires May 31, 2020
2016
Army Lt. Col. Alicia A. Masson (center), the commander of Radford Army Ammunition Plant, welcomes the audience to RAAP’s community meeting at Radford Public Library in September 2016. Also pictured are Justine Barati (left), the chief of public affairs for U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, and Rob Davie, the chief of operations at RAAP. Photo by Brian Perdue for Radford News Journal. Commander Alicia Masson increases the number of community meetings from one to five per year.
A coalition of researchers from the National Science and Aeronautics Administration, the University of Dayton and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses a drone aircraft to gather air samples from within the plume released by open burns. (Aurrell and Gullet, Characterization of Air Emissions from Open Burning at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, 2017)
Pictured left, a NASA Drone flies through a smoke plume above a burning pile of waste munitions at the RAAP. [Roanoke Times, 2016]
2017
Virginia Tech students and others concerned about the environmental impacts of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant launch Citizens for Arsenal Accountability during a press conference on the Virginia Tech campus. Making the announcement were (from left) students Drew White, Jake Murphy, Justin Haber, and Elizabeth Merin, and community organizer Michael James-Demaro.
APRIL– Virginia Tech students found Citizens for Arsenal Accountability
A small group of VT students started a new chapter of the North Carolina-based Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League called Citizens for Arsenal Accountability to “put pressure – not a negative pressure” on arsenal officials to “get accountability and transparency” on pollution released by the military munitions producer, said Drew White, a senior English major from Williamsburg who is involved in the group.
Tonia Moxley, “Va. Tech group to scrutinize Radford arsenal pollution,” Roanoke Times, April 19, 2017
Lt. Col. Alicia Masson looks on as Col. Kelso Horne passes the colors to Lt. Col. James Scott, signifying the transfer of command of Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
7 JULY – Lt. Col. James Scott becomes new Commander of RAAP
Command of the RAAP was transferred from Lt. Col. Alicia Masson, the 1st woman to command the RAAP, to Lt. Col. James Scott, who will serve at RAAP until 2019. The Arsenal is part of the Joint Munitions Command (JMC), along with 15 other ammunition manufacturing facilities. The Arsenal is regarded as “…the Heart of the Ammunition Enterprise.”
20 JULY – ProPublica publishes “Open Burns, Ill Winds.” In 1940, President Roosevelt initiated the construction of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. For over 70 years of the plant’s operation, the air was not monitored for pollutants in the local area. This article includes interviews with local residents. A center-left biased news site, Propublica, an investigative journalism venue with a center-left bias, published this article in their series, “Bombs in Your Backyard.”
SEPTEMBER– DEQ fines BAE Systems (RAAP) $263,335 for permit violations
BAE Systems was fined $263,335 from the Virginia DEQ for four separate violations: failure to meet a compliance deadline for their boilers; exceeding limits set for filterable particulate matter, hydrochloric acid, and carbon monoxide; and exceeding opacity limits for smoke emissions between two separate date ranges. These violations stemmed from the coal-fired boilers that were shut down on 7 May 2017, and in an email sent to the Roanoke Times, RAAP representatives mentioned their new natural-gas fired steam plant that would “eliminate the root cause of these violations”. The article also mentions the 2016 drone test that raised public concern even more about the lasting health risks of the chemical burning, as well as designs for the closed-air incinerator that would destroy 95% of the plant’s munitions waste, that will be finished before the end of 2017. The reporting of violations committed by the plant serves as publicly available (not just contained to legal paperwork and jargon) documentation and accountability of its actions and potential effects on the surrounding environment.
Dominick Mastrangelo, “Radford Arsenal fined $263,335 by DEQ for permit violations,” Roanoke Times, Sep 12, 2017
17 OCTOBER– Nitric acid tank at RAAP leaks
The RAAP was evacuated around 9am, after a nitric acid tank leaked. Directly after the leak, a lockdown was placed, but an hour later or so, the plant was evacuated for safety precautions. Justine Barati, US Army spokeswoman, confirmed that the smoke plumes came from one of several new nitric acid tanks the RAAP is currently in the process of testing. She also said that no one was injured during the leak and that it would not be a danger to anyone outside of the plant.
Dominick Mastrangelo, “Nitric acid tank leaks at Radford Arsenal, prompting evacuation; no injuries reported,” Oct 17, 2017
13 NOVEMBER– Town of Blacksburg passes Resolution Urging RAAP to Address Environmental Hazards
15 NOVEMBER– RAAP issues rebuttal to Town of Blacksburg’s Resolution. Coverage on WDBJ7.
2018
20 MARCH– Lt. Col. James Scott announces Commander’s Environmental Stewardship Challenge.
Lt. Col. James Scott’s “Commander’s Environmental Stewardship Challenge” would “reduce energetic waste treatments from the ground during open burn/open detonation by 50 percent by the year 2023.” According to the Army’s article about the challenge, “Team Radford’s mission is to provide America’s Warfighters with superior performing propellants, energetics and munitions, in order to enable engagement and destruction of targets with total confidence.” –April Scott, RFAAP leader announces “Commanders Environmental Stewardship Challenge,” March 28, 2018, https://www.army.mil/article/202860/
Find the slides here.
Aerial map of locations of air monitors for pilot study led by Marr et. al. (2018).
SUMMER – Marr et al. monitors amount of metals and VOCs in air around RAAP
Aerial map of where soil was collected for pilot study led by Thompson (2018).
SUMMER – Thompson measures heavy metals in soil; bovine blood lead levels in areas around RAAP
Thompson Heavy metals soils and blood data from Christiansburg and Blacksburg
Separate images of the 3 employees who suffered injuries from a fire at RAAP: Dakota Grimmett (left), Andrew Goad (middle; later died), and Travis Mitchell (right). [WDBJ News, 2018]
11 JUNE – Fire at RAAP kills 1, injures 2 employees
Around 7:30pm on Monday, June 11th 2018, a flash fire occurred at the RAAP, sending three BAE Systems employees to a hospital in North Carolina. The fire was likely caused by the over-drying and combustion of the material nitrocellulose. According to plant officials, the fire was contained a little after 8pm. The spokeswoman for the Joint Munitions Command of the U.S. Army, Justine Barati, declined to give any details about the injuries of the three employees or their identities. The injured employees were transferred from a New River Valley hospital to the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center late Monday night and the hospital has a known burn center. A joint investigation between the Army and related authorities has begun in order to determine the root cause and prevent future occurrences. The plant was shut down and did not resume production until the facility was declared safe. Chris Finley, the BAE Systems spokesperson, said, “The safety and security of our employees is of the highest priority at BAE Systems.” RAAP employs approximately 1,090 government and contract employees, while BAE Systems is the private company that contracts with the Army to make propellant for military use.
Dominick Mastrangelo, “3 injured in fire at Radford Army Ammunition Plant, official says,” Roanoke Times, Jun 12, 2018
Selected visitors watch a presentation being led by Lt. Col. James Scott, as part of their tour of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
Photo by Liz Kirchner. [Radford News Journal, 2018]
21 JUNE – RAAP gives tour to 40 visitors
Normally off limits to the public, the RAAP hosted about 40 visitors, curious and concerned citizens and media last week in a recent push toward transparency and community outreach by the 70-year old military plant that manufactures the nation’s nitrocellulose, an explosive used to propel missiles.
–“A new transparency at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant,” Radford News Journal
Empty burn pans used for open burning, lined up at the New River, at the RAAP. [Roanoke Times, 2018]
10 AUG – DoD opens investigation into open burning at US facilities
By congressional request, the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense will evaluate the RAAP’s and similar facilities’ compliance with relevant environmental laws, inter-agency municipal agreements, and policy. The Arsenal makes ammunition for the U.S. military through the private company BAE Systems, making it the biggest polluter in Virginia year after year. According to DEQ reports, the RAAP produced 12.1 million tons of toxic release inventory chemicals last year. Last fall, the plant was fined for $200,000 for air quality violations. After the fine, the arsenal reminded the public it ceased using coal-fired boilers in May 2016, so its emissions are improving. Now, the arsenal is working toward construction of a closed-air incinerator that could consume 95 percent of the munitions waste. The project is projected to cost between $75 million and $150 million. Because it needs federal approval and will take a long time to build, it is estimated to take 34 months to complete (after obtaining a new DEQ permit).
Dominick Mastrangelo, “Department of Defense opens investigation into open burning at RAAP, other U.S. facilities,” Aug 14, 2018
23 AUG – DEQ installs air quality monitors near RAAP
In order to ease community concerns about pollution caused by the RAAP’s open burning, the VDEQ received a $26,000 grant from the EPA to install air quality monitors and lead detectors near the Blacksburg VPI Sanitation Station close to the Arsenal. The idea of quality monitors and lead detectors came after a preliminary report done by the RAAP had sparked national concerns. The report listed higher amounts of arsenic, cadmium, lead, silver and chloromethane in the smoke than standard tabling methods of testing had initially found. Although the air monitors and detectors are a step forward, community members still worry about Belview Elementary school and surrounding neighborhoods, requesting that proper testing needs to be done outside of the RAAP grounds, too.
Dominick Mastrangelo, “DEQ to install air-quality monitor near Radford arsenal,” Roanoke Times, Aug 23, 2017
4 SEP – RAAP has chemical ammonia leak
On Tuesday, September 4, 2018, the RAAP experienced a leak of ammonia. Factory personnel from the immediate area of the leak were promptly evacuated. Facility and local emergency crews responded to the leak as well as the Salem Fire and EMS Hazardous Materials Response team. There are no reported injuries or dangers to personal or surrounding community. However, the leak was not announced publicly until 12 hours after the incident. Community members feel left in the dark in regards to these types of incidents occurring at the arsenal.
DEC – Virginia Tech researchers present results of pilot study at quarterly community meeting. — Tonia Moxley, “Virginia Tech scientists probe Radford arsenal emissions,” Dec 6, 2018
One of the three $4000 computerized air monitor used in a Virginia Tech study of air quality and purchased by the Arsenal, downwind of the munitions plant’s controversial waste propellant open burning site about 40 meters from the New River.