The U.S. Department of the Army and its contractor, American Ordnance LLC, have agreed to pay $39,311 in civil penalties following alleged violations of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown, Iowa, owned by the Army and operated by American Ordnance, was cited for these violations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that in 2023, the facility operators breached their hazardous waste management permit. The infractions included improper detonation of explosives in a detonation chamber, failure to properly close a grenade detonation chamber after relocation within the facility, and burning munitions in open burn pans beyond permitted limits.
In response to these allegations, both the Army and American Ordnance have taken steps to bring the facility back into compliance with regulations.
RCRA establishes guidelines for managing hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. Federal government-owned facilities are held to the same standards for safe hazardous waste handling as private entities.
