The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (Iowa AAP) is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility under the command of the U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island , Illinois. The current operating contractor is American Ordnance LLC (AO). Production of ammunition items began in 1941 and the facility remains in operation. Production activities at Iowa AAP currently include loading, assembling and packaging of ammunition items, including projectiles, mortar rounds, warheads, demolition charges, anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines. The loading, assembling, and packaging operations use explosive materials and lead-based initiating compounds.
The Iowa AAP occupies approximately 19,000 acres near Middletown in Des Moines County , Iowa. Iowa AAP is bordered by Highway 34 to the north, upland agricultural farms to the east and west and the Skunk River Valley to the south. Surface topography is characterized by flat to gently rolling uplands dissected by entrenched streams and rivers. Approximately one-third of the Iowa AAP property is occupied by active or formerly active production or storage facilities. Sites include surface impoundments, production areas, landfills, and a fire training pit. The remaining land is either woodlands or leased for agricultural usage.
Wastewater generated at various plant facilities and effluent from wastewater treatment plants are discharged to surface streams under provisions of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. Past munitions production at the Iowa AAP has resulted in contamination of soil and groundwater and discharge of wastewater containing explosives and explosives by-products to surface water. The primary source of contamination resulted from placing explosives and waste containing heavy metals directly on soil and into surface water. Explosive contaminants and heavy metals migrated through the soil into the groundwater and also over land into surface water. The facility also has identified minor amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC) contamination in soil and groundwater.