Redevelopment efforts for the former Kansas Army Ammunition Plant were not entered into lightly. Top professional assistance was sought to develop a use that was compatible with the property, and to develop a realistic plan for the community. RKG Associates, Inc. delivered a product that has become a living resource for the staff and board and is reviewed and amended, as necessary, each year.

The “Infrastructure Master Plan” was the result of a nearly year-long study by engineers with Matrix Design Group, Inc. The comprehensive report covers analysis of roads, bridges, agricultural land, water and waste water systems, rail operations, structural observations and more. The Master Redevelopment Plan was amended in 2009, to include this study.

• Master Redevelopment Plan 
• Executive Summary 
• Infrastructure Master Plan

Remediation analysis
More than 88 percent of the entire property has been declared environmentally safe according to a concurrence between the EPA, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the US Army. That’s pretty simple to understand when it’s known that explosives were never manufactured at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant. This was strictly a load-and-pack facility where clean packaged components came into the west side of the plant by rail and were then moved into the center area for assembly into finished munitions. While still in the production area the finished products were again packaged, therefore no longer contaminated, and moved to the east side of the plant before being shipped out.

The large acreage at the plant was required to accommodate what is known as Quantity Distance Arcs (QDAs). QDAs allowed for the largest possible distance that an explosion would throw out debris. The QDAs have long been used by area farmers and ranchers for pasture, haying and cropping since most of it has been uncontaminated.

Remediation begins
While remediation has been going on at the plant for many years, with the transfer of the property into the hands of a redevelopment authority a concerted effort has begun to decontaminate the productions lines and other areas. Special funding has been made available through the BRAC process that will return property to the local communities in a condition that allows for redevelopment as quickly as possible.

In the case of the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, the Army is privatizing clean-up through the Great Plains Development Authority, in conjunction with Matrix Environmental Services. This will allow for remediation in the areas most attractive for development to begin as quickly as possible. For additional information on remediation efforts, please contact our office.