29-05-2025
Radford Army Ammunition Plant holds community meeting
RADFORD, Va. (WFXR) — The Radford Army Ammunition Plant held an online community meeting Wednesday.
It included updates on incidents that occurred over the past year.
There was a nitric acid spill April 22 at the plant. Environmental Manager for government contractor BAE Systems, Nelson Hernandez says they ultimately determined 6,500 gallons were spilled. The preliminary estimate was 600 gallons. The spill covered an area about 500 by 10 feet in size he added. Hernandez says there was no immediate impact to the environment or public health.
'The area is a natural clay-based soil,' he explained. 'It prevents any kind of permeation.'
'We are going through the due diligence to properly profile and analyze the material so we ensure that BAE Systems properly disposes of the material. That's next and really the last step of this process.'
He also addressed the thirteen totes swept away during Hurricane Helene in September. Hernandez says they recently found the tenth downstream of Big Falls. Hernandez says the 275-gallon chemical container didn't leak.
Radford Army Ammunition Plant holds groundbreaking ceremony for EWI
There are still three containers missing. Anyone who thinks they see one is asked to contact their local sheriff.
Andrea Henry with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers also provided an update on the plant's energetic waste incinerator. The first of its kind facility is an alternative to their 'Open Burning Ground,' which is where they burn propellant to process it.
'It will nearly eliminate use of the OBG,' she said.
There's nearly a yearlong delay. The project was supposed to be complete this July, but it's now set for June 2026. Henry says their contractor has brought in additional crews, but that weather impacts over the last several months, plus redesigns and construction challenges lent to the slowdown.
You can watch the whole meeting on the Radford Army Ammunition Plant Facebook.
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