The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant (ALAAP), was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

munitions plant built and operated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The facility is located four miles (6 km) north of

Childersburg, Alabama Childersburg is a city in Talladega County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It was incorporated in 1889. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,754. It has a history dating back before 1540, when it was noted as a village of the Coosa Nation vis ...

Talladega County, Alabama Talladega County (pronounced Talla-dig-a) is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpageACES-Talladega As of t ...

History

The ALAAP was built in 1941 as a production facility for

nitrocellulose Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...

(NC),

trinitrotoluene Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reage ...

(TNT),

dinitrotoluene Dinitrotoluenes could refer to one of the following compounds: * 2,3-Dinitrotoluene * 2,4-Dinitrotoluene * 2,5-Dinitrotoluene * 2,6-Dinitrotoluene * 3,4-Dinitrotoluene * 3,5-Dinitrotoluene External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinitrotoluene ...

(DNT),

tetryl 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine commonly referred to as tetryl ( C7 H5 N5 O8) is an explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Tetryl is a nitramine booster explosive, though its use has been largely superseded ...

, and single-base

smokeless powder Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared t ...

. The facility, operated by DuPont, had a peak production rate of nearly 40 million pounds (18 million kg) of munitions per month. It also produced heavy water for the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

. The facility ceased operation in August 1945 and was placed on standby status after the end of the war.United States Army Environmental Center Base Closure Division
Site Management Plan; Alabama Army Ammunition Plant, Talladega County, Alabama
May 10, 1995. Pages 5-6. During the war, the plant covered more than 13,000 acres (53 km²). After the end of the war, various portions of the plant were leased out for commercial operations. Most of the original structures have been destroyed, although the government retains responsibility for more than 2,000 acres (8 km²) of the facility.

Superfund site designation

The

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon pro ...

designated the plant as a Superfund site in 1987. Chemicals from the manufacturing areas of the site had contaminated

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated ...

and soil on the property. The Army began cleanup activities on the site in the 1990s.

References

United States Army arsenals Military Superfund sites Superfund sites in Alabama Buildings and structures in Talladega County, Alabama United States Army arsenals during World War II Isotope separation facilities of the Manhattan Project {{Environmental-disaster-stub

History

Superfund site designation

See also

References